El Salvador to move embassy out of Jerusalem

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, Aug 25 (Reuters) El Salvador will move its embassy in Israel from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, the foreign ministry said today, in a move bound to upset Israel and please Arab nations.

El Salvador would have been the only country in the world left with an embassy in Jerusalem after Costa Rica announced on August 16 it would pull its diplomatic mission out of the city.

A US ally which has a small contingent of troops in Iraq, El Salvador is governed by conservative President Tony Saca, who is of Palestinian Christian descent.

''Considering the current situation in the Middle East, El Salvador has decided to move its diplomatic representation in the state of Israel,'' the ministry said in a statement.

REUTERS VJ BST0124