MANILA, Aug. 31 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States said Tuesday it hoped the Philippine government could reconsider an order banning Filipinos from working in Iraq.

    There were some 4,000 Filipino workers in Iraq who were contributing to rebuilding the country and the US government hopedthat "others will be allowed to join them," the ABS-CBN news channel quoted US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone to Manila as saying.

    However, he clarified that Washington was "not making any demands" about the Philippine foreign policy.

    Ricciardone said contractors hired by the United States to transport food and supplies into Iraq from neighboring Kuwait wanted to hire Filipinos but were unable to do so.

    "A suggestion is then, if the government could take a careful look at relaxing that ban in very specific circumstances," Ricciardone said.

    "If government is satisfied that all reasonable (means) possible is being done to protect drivers or the workers, then that might be something that could be considered," he said.

    Filipino workers should be allowed to make their own decisions,Ricciardone said, adding that "there are no guarantees (of safety),of course, in going to Iraq."

    Earlier, Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said the ban would continue until the government's special envoy to the Middle East advised otherwise.

    Labor officials have warned the ban could cost the Philippines as much as 100 million US dollars in remittances. As many as 4,000Filipinos are still working in Iraq now.

    The Philippine government banned all worker deployments to Iraqin July shortly after truck driver Angelo de la Cruz was kidnappedby Iraqi militants who demanded the withdrawal of Philippine 51-man humanitarian contingent there.

    Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's decision of troop withdrawal was criticized by the United States, which strained the bilateral relations although the two countries maintain they are still allies. Enditem