Amman - The Jordanian government said Tuesday that for the first time in nearly five years it was appointing an ambassador to Iraq, signalling Amman's apparent confidence in an improved security situation in Baghdad.

The new envoy, Nayef Zaidan, was sworn in before King Abdullah II on Monday at an official ceremony.

Zaidan told the daily al-Arab al-Yawm that he expected to travel to Baghdad "within a few days after a Jordanian technical panel examines the new premises of the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone."

The paper quoted official sources as saying that Zaidan would leave for Baghdad at the weekend or early next week.

The Jordanian embassy in Baghdad was the scene of a fatal bombing in August 2003. Since then, Jordan, citing "security reasons," has only run a diplomatic mission in Iraq headed by a charge d'affaires.

It is speculated that the move by Amman was triggered by pressure from the United States and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who paid an official visit to Jordan in June.

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain said recently that they too planned to send envoys to Baghdad after the security situation there improved. (dpa)