MANILA, Philippines, Sept 19, (AP): The Philippines has sent a team to Iraq to study the possibility of reopening its embassy in Baghdad and lifting a ban on the deployment of workers there.
Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokes-man Raul Hernandez says a five-man team arrived in Baghdad on Monday to meet Iraqi officials.
He says the diplomats will assess the impact the scheduled withdrawal of US forces in December will have on Iraq’s security.
The Philippines banned the deployment of Filipino workers to Iraq in 2004 and moved its embassy the following year to Amman, Jordan, after two Filipinos were kidnapped in Iraq.
The Philippines is one of the world’s largest labor exporters. The earnings sent home by overseas workers have been a lifeline to the local economy.