First Western Tour Group in Post-Saddam Iraq

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BAGHDAD (AFP) – The first official Western tour group to enter Iraq since the US-led invasion six years ago is visiting historic and religious sites in the country, the tourism ministry said on Thursday.

"This visit is a positive sign for the return of touristic activity to Iraq," ministry spokesman Abdul Zahra al-Telagani said of the five Britons, two Americans and a Canadian on a trip organized by a British operator.

"It reflects the improvement in the security situation. This is a message to the whole world that the new Iraq is now ready to return to a normal situation with security and stability," he said.