Bahrain on Sunday named its first ambassador to Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion, the latest sign of warming ties between Baghdad and its Gulf Arab neighbours. King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa named career diplomat Salah al-Malki to the post, the official BNA news agency reported.
Bahraini newspapers said Malki - who has also served at the United Nations in New York - would be Bahrain's youngest ambassador. No Arab country has had a permanent ambassador in the Iraqi capital since Egypt's envoy was kidnapped and killed shortly after arriving in 2005.
The United States has been pressing those Sunni Arab governments that are its allies to help the Iraqi government by forgiving debts and establishing high-level diplomatic representation. In July, the United Arab Emirates said it was cancelling almost $7 billion of Iraqi debt including interest and arrears payments. A UAE diplomatic source said then that the Gulf state's envoy to India had been named as ambassador to Iraq and his appointment awaited the signature of the UAE president.