World | Iraq US Inaugurates $700M Embassy in Baghdad Buildings symbolize desire to 'continue the tradition of friendship' By Newser Editors and Wire Services Posted Jan 5, 2009 9:05 AM CST Copied US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, right, and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani look on during a ceremony marking the opening of the new US Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Jan. 5, 2009. (Hadi Mizban) See 5 more photos The United States inaugurated its largest embassy yet in the heart of the Green Zone today, officially opening the fortress-like compound that was intended to stand as a testament to America's commitment to Iraq. Addressing an inauguration ceremony under tight security, Ambassador Ryan Crocker said the $700 million embassy was testimony to America's long-term friendship with Iraq. "From this embassy in the years to come, we look forward to building our partnership and contributing to the future," Crocker said. During the ceremony, US Marines raised the American flag over the building, which sits on a 104-acre site and has space for 1,000 employees. It resembles a corporate campus surrounded by huge walls of reinforced concrete. Read These Next 11 people hurt in a "brutal act of violence" in Michigan. A parent's nightmare, in a white cardboard box. We knew Letterman would pipe up about Colbert eventually. A new book argues the Sacagawea legend is all wrong. See 5 more photos Report an error