DAMMAM — Al-Juhaimah and Jadidat Arar border posts between the Kingdom and Iraq will be opened soon and 10 Saudi prisoners will be released in the coming few days. The opening of the two border posts will facilitate the movement of travelers and flow of goods between the two countries, Iraqi Ambassador to Riyadh Dr. Rushdi Al-Ani said on the occasion of reopening the Kingdom's Embassy in Baghdad. Asked about the possibility of solving the issue of Saudis detained in Iraq in the coming days, Dr. Al-Ani said that there are 70 Saudis detained in Iraq at present. The Iraqi government will release 10 of them on the occasion of the reopening of the Saudi Embassy in Baghdad. He added that there are no other hot issues between Iraq and the Kingdom apart from the prisoners' release, which will be among the top priorities after the resumption of work in the embassy. There will be transparency in the exchange of information. As to Iraq's view on the Kingdom's role and its efforts in countering terror, he said that the Kingdom is playing a big role in combatting this scourge. The recent announcement on the formation of an Islamic military alliance to confront terror confirms this approach, he said, adding that Iraq supported this step. Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad last Tuesday, a quarter of a century after relations were broken over Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. A consulate is expected to open later in Irbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.
