Top Iraqi officials greeted the new U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffery at a ceremony in Baghdad Wednesday.
The ambassador presented his diplomatic credentials to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.
Jeffery is a career diplomat who has served as the former ambassador to Turkey. He previously served as special state department advisor for Iraq and as the deputy chief of mission in Baghdad.
Jeffrey was appointed to the Iraqi post by the U.S. Senate earlier this month. His arrival comes two weeks before the U.S. is scheduled to end its combat mission in Iraq and with the Iraqi political process hamstrung over the formation of a ruling government coalition.
Jeffrey succeeds Christopher Hill who has retired from the U.S. foreign service.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.