Manila  - A senior Iraqi diplomat on Friday urged the Philippines to lift a four-year travel ban to his country to allow more Filipinos to work there amid a massive reconstruction effort.

Adel Mawlood Hamoudi al-Hakimh, Iraq's charge d'affaires in Manila, said there were about 15,000 Filipinos working for companies in Iraq despite the ban.

He said more foreign workers were needed as Iraq implements a new phase of its reconstruction in 2009.

"For the new phase we are planning to do in 2009, we will be needing thousands of foreign workers," al-Hakimh said. "That's why we are so in need of Filipino help and experience."

"Iraq is in need of all types of workers, including engineers, nurses, teachers, technicians," he added.

Al-Hakimh said the Iraqi government was negotiating with the Philippines, 8 million of whose 96 million people work abroad, to remove the travel ban imposed in 2004 after the kidnapping of a Filipino.

He said Philippine and Iraqi officials were scheduled to hold a meeting in January to discuss the employment opportunities available for Filipino workers in Iraq.

"A lot of opportunities will be open to the Filipinos after the ban is lifted, and it will be all under the Iraqi government," he said. "All the contracts will be under the Iraqi government."

Most of the Filipinos now working in Iraq were able to sneak into the war-torn country from neighbouring nations, such as Jordan and Syria.

The Philippines imposed the travel ban after the kidnapping of a Filipino truck driver in July 2004.

The hostage was freed unharmed after the Philippines gave in to the demands of his kidnappers to withdraw its small humanitarian contingent from Iraq ahead of schedule. (dpa)