Iraq delays reopening of Green Zone in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Nov 25 (AFP): The partial reopening of Baghdad's high-security Green Zone to through traffic, planned for Sunday, has been postponed for several days, a government official said.

The enclave has been home to Iraq's parliament, government offices, United Nations agencies and western embassies since the US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Earlier this week, Iraqi authorities began removing concrete barriers to ease access to a key route that cuts across the enclave, ahead of a planned opening on Sunday, reportedly at the orders of Prime Minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi.

But on Sunday morning, a government official told AFP that "the reopening will not take place before the next two days, or perhaps by the end of the week".

"An important thoroughfare will be opened, but we must secure its surroundings and seal access to perpendicular streets," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The road leads from the banks of the Tigris River northwest through the Green Zone and into other parts of Baghdad.