US to open biggest mission in Baghdad

Although the US is the occupying power in Iraq, the two nations have not formally resumed ties, which were severed after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. The other major challenge will be sorting out the terms of the US military presence, which is expected to exceed 1,00,000 troops even after the occupation ends, US officials say.

‘‘We have to determine what command US troops will be under: Will it be part of some kind of multinational force, under the UN, under NATO? Or will they be independent in an agreement with the Iraqi government? These are questions to be answered,’’ the official added. Secretary of State Colin Powell said this week said he will spend the next six months pressing for larger international participation. Over the next six months, the State Department will assume responsibility for jobs now carried out by the US-led coalition authority, senior US officials said.

Several teams of lawyers are working on legal issues of handing back sovereignty to Iraq and making arrangements for a diplomatic relationship.

The bulk of the US staff will remain headquartered in Saddam Hussein’s former Republican Palace. But to prevent the psychological fallout from staying there, the new embassy will be in a building not far from the ‘‘Green Zone’’ of Baghdad, where the Coalition Provisional Authority operates. In the next two months, the State Department will be recruiting instensively to staff the US Embassy. —(LAT-WP)