U.S. embassy in Baghdad changes hands

BAGHDAD, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- The new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was officially transferred Saturday from the care of contractors to the U.S. government.

The newly constructed compound, thought to be the only large construction project completed in Baghdad in the past four years, is expected to open for business within the next few weeks, The Times of London reported Saturday.

The compound, roughly the size of Vatican City, is hidden from ground-level onlookers by an immense wall. The embassy, designed to be impregnable to attack, contains its own barracks for a detachment of Marines who will protect the building once it opens.

However, the embassy has drawn its fair share of criticism, particularly from Iraqis who say they only receive a couple hours of water and electricity every day, yet the new embassy is outfitted with its own fresh water supply, electricity plant, sewage treatment facility, maintenance stores and warehouses.

"People are very angry," said one young Iraqi. "It’s for the Americans, not for the Iraqis."