American embassy in Baghdad will include more than 1500 employees

The US Department Of State announced yesterday that more than 900 Americans will work at the American embassy which was chosen as its headquarters one of the palaces of the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Baghdad for temporary residence, to be backed by 600 to 700 Iraqis.

The official in charge of tranferring the authority to the Iraqis at the department, Francis Recardony, said that the American embassy will be the largest in the world will be in one of Saddam Hussein's palaces until a site will be chosen to build a new embassy instead of the old one which was confiscated by the Iraqi regime in 1970.

Recordony said that half the number of the American employees will be in their offices upon the authority transfer to the Iraqis on June 30.

He added that several American ambassadors all over the world will move to work in Baghdad under the instructions of ambassador John Negro- Ponty who was appointed to run the embassy in Baghdad. He is expected to assume post of his new mission in July.