Baghdad’s Green Zone reopens to the public
Print Edition
Iraq’s Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi yesterday declared the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad open to all of his citizens for the first time in 12 years, amid efforts to cut spending and appease citizens who have been protesting for basic public services.
Al-Abadi referred to the opening of the Green Zone as part of the “measures promised to our citizens and this opening that we are witnessing points to continued plans to reform — actions which we will not back down from,” a statement from his office said, adding that al-Abadi was the first to pass through the International Zone, as its officially known.
The 10 square kilometer compound, on the west bank of the Tigris River, was declared off-limits to the public in the wake of the 2003 United States-led occupation.
With its high concrete walls lined with barbed wire, and heavily guarded checkpoints, the complex is home to several palaces once belonging to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and was turned into the administrative headquarters for the US-led coalition following the 2003 invasion.
Today, it contains a number of residential buildings, including those of senior Iraqi government officials, and foreign embassies, including the US embassy, which, at 42 hectares, is the largest in the world.
Bomb target
The zone has continued to be a target for bombings over the years, despite the walls that surround it.
A senior security official said that many of the restrictions on movement inside the Green Zone will remain in place, particularly on streets leading to high-level government buildings and embassies, including the US embassy.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to brief the media.
The decision to open a passage in and out of the Green Zone comes as calls for reform continue across Baghdad to end government corruption and reckless spending.
Last month, in a rare show of unity, the Iraqi government unanimously backed a program proposed by al-Abadi to eliminate senior government posts and slash spending.
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