Iraq is "starting to take its place" in the Gulf now that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other neighbors are sending diplomats back to Baghdad and forgiving its debt, a US official said Tuesday.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack echoed the White House's welcome on Monday of the UAE announcement to cancel Iraqi debt, appoint an ambassador and reopen its embassy in Baghdad.
"There have been a number of positive developments on the diplomatic front regarding Iraq over the past several weeks," McCormack told reporters.
"If you rewind the tape to a couple of years ago, there was an announcement by the president (George W. Bush) talking about not only a surge on the ground in Iraq but a diplomatic surge," he said.
"I think you're starting to see some of the results from that diplomatic surge and the hard work that the Iraqis as well as Secretary (of State Condoleezza) Rice has put in," he added.
Not only has the UAE announced diplomatic and financial moves, Jordan is appointing an ambassador who will open an embassy soon, he said, adding: "You have Bahrain doing the same."
"These are all very positive developments and developments that only two years ago, none of us in this room were talking about and a lot of people doubted that they would actually occur," he said.
Recent events are "very encouraging," he said.
"Iraq is starting to take its place once again in the region. That's important for the Iraqi people and it's important for Iraq and it's important for the region," McCormack said.
During a tour of the Gulf in April, Secretary Rice backed Iraqi appeals for its Sunni Arab neighbours to offer diplomatic and economic support to a "new Iraq" that promotes national unity and ends sectarian divisions.
