U.S. TO DOWNSIZE HUGE EMBASSY

"The United States is looking to cut the size of its embassy in Iraq... the $750m embassy, which sits inside the heavily-fortified Green Zone... (has a) huge diplomatic operation, which reportedly costs $6bn a year... the objective was to reduce the cost of the embassy, which employs about 2,000 diplomats and 14,000 contractors...

"... the US was preparing to cut the number of staff by up to a half... with many complaining an inability to leave the embassy because of security concerns and Iraqi obstructionism... The Iraqi authorities have reportedly made it difficult for supplies to be delivered to the embassy compound and for diplomats to get visas, and have launched a crackdown on security contractors protecting diplomats...

"(In comparison) The embassy of Turkey - Iraq's largest trading partner - is believed to employ only about 55 people, only a handful of whom are diplomats."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/world-middle-east-16946414