BAGHDAD - Egyptian Foreign Minster Ahmed Abul-Gheit visited Iraq on Sunday to mark the opening of Egypt's first consulate outside of the capital, in the northern city of Irbil. His visit is the first high-level one by a foreign minister to Iraq since the formation of a new government. Nearly 70 per cent of ministerial positions were approved by the Iraqi parliament last week following nine months of political deadlock. Abul-Gheit's last trip in late 2008 marked the first visit by an Egyptian foreign minister to Iraq since 1990. In 2005, Egypt's ambassador had been kidnapped and killed in Baghdad. Iraqi diplomat Lubeid Abbawi said the minister's trip is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and discussing partnerships between the two countries, according to Aswat al-Iraq news agency. In addition, the foreign minister was scheduled to meet with officials to discuss preparations for next year's Arab League Summit to be held in Baghdad. Abul-Gheit is also slated to meet with political figures in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region, where the new consulate will open. Egypt has previously said it plans to open two more consulates, one in Mosul in the north and the other in Basra in the south. A day before his trip to Iraq, Abul-Gheit said in Cairo that Egypt would like to see Iraq free of US troops. "We want all of them to leave and we want them to leave Iraq as soon as possible," he said, referring to the 50,000 US troops deployed there. Egypt was staunchly opposed to the US-led invasion of 2003.
