Iraqi PM opens Baghdad's fortified 'Green Zone' to public

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi addresses attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 30, 2015. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad open to all citizens on Sunday, part of a reform drive prompted by protests demanding greater transparency and openness.

The 10-square-kilometre (four-square-mile) Green Zone on the bank of the Tigris River has been largely off limits to ordinary Iraqis due to security concerns since the 2003 U.S. invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.