LOS ANGELES, July 6 (Xinhua) -- To take the strain off the Iraqi embassy in Washington D.C. and help expatriates scattered around the United States, Iraq will open a consulate in San Diego, about 80 miles (128 kilometers) south of Los Angeles, it was reported on Sunday.

    The facility will assist Iraqis with documentation, passports, visas and other consular services, according to the Los Angeles Times.

    The Iraqi Foreign Ministry also plans to open a consulate in Detroit.

    "Yes, there's quite a big community in Detroit," Labid Abbawi, Iraqi foreign undersecretary, was quoted as saying. "Also we have quite a big number in San Diego as well," Abbawi said.

    "There are also in Los Angeles a lot, but we thought San Diego was more suitable."

    There were 3,705 Iraqis in Detroit, 2,039 in Los Angeles and 822 in San Diego, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.

    But there are also Iraqi communities in east San Diego County, particularly Christian Chaldeans. Many small market owners and professionals in the area are Iraqi. Some estimate that, including second generation, there are 25,000 Iraqis in the county.

    Those numbers are likely to increase as the U.S. State Department gears up its post-war refugee program. The Bush administration set a goal of admitting 12,000 Iraqi refugees this year.

    The San Diego consulate should open before the end of the year, Abbawi said.