Beijing: Iraq's ambassador returned back to Baghdad

Former Iraqi ambassador in China, Muwafaq al-Ani, returned back to Baghdad two months after the diplomatic confrontations because of his rejection to leave his post following the collapse of the Iraqi regime.

Officials in the Chinese government and the Iraqi embassy in Beijing said that al-Ani had left for Iraq and will not return back. An employee at the embassy said that al-Ani "is no longer an official" at the embassy.

An Asian diplomat and another western diplomat said that the US had asked China to expel al-Ani who was appointed by the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein as an ambassador in China in January. An official at the Chinese foreign ministry said that al-Ani left China last week. Al-Ani, however, has rejected a message extended to him by the transitional governing council in Iraq to return back to Baghdad and announced then he will not deal with what is called the preliminary committee at the Iraqi foreign ministry because it belongs to the American administrator of Iraq Paul Bremer and there is no recognized ministry, or government or authority there."

Worthy mentioning that that Chinese authorities were slow in answering the American request. A Chinese official explained this position by saying "we do not want to anger the Americans but we do not also want to anger our Muslim brothers in all parts of the world."