Months-delayed U.S. Embassy ready in Baghdad

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After months of delay, the United States has established an embassy in Baghdad, the State Department said Monday.
After delays, U.S. diplomats will begin moving into the mammoth new heavily fortified embassy next month.
Undersecretary for Management Patrick Kennedy said Monday he signed a "certificate of occupancy," which gives the United States ownership of the heavily fortified embassy compound inside the Green Zone and allows staff to move into its 27 buildings.
Kennedy said that before he approved final occupancy, he got assurances from a team of experts who tested the fire, electrical, mechanical and communications systems inside the buildings.
The sprawling facility will provide secure housing for U.S. personnel who currently live and work in Saddam Hussein's former Republican Palace, which has increasingly come under fire inside the Green Zone.
U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker told reporters Friday he expected officials to begin moving into the facility in late May or early June.
A recent spike in insurgent attacks that killed several Americans in the Green Zone prompted the State Department to order U.S. Embassy personnel not to leave reinforced buildings. A shortage of such space has forced some diplomats to temporarily sleep at the new embassy compound, despite the lack of occupancy certification.
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