The Canadian government is planning to reopen its embassy in Iraq by the end of the year, a Foreign Affairs Ministry official said in Ottawa Tuesday.

The official told reporters that the Canadian government hopes to reopen the embassy in Iraq within the next six months, but it is going to depend very much on the evolution of the security situation.

The official said Canada must be cautious because it does not have soldiers on the ground in Iraq to protect its officials.

Canada, which has never severed its relations with Iraq, closedits embassy since the 1991 Gulf War.

Canada has committed more than 200 million US dollars in development assistance to Iraq. The majority of the funding has already been distributed through UN agencies.

Source: Xinhua