Tuesday February 10, 08:49 PM
Sarkozy gives go-ahead for French business on Iraq visit
By Salam Faraj
BAGHDAD (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday vowed to help Iraq's economic revival, during a historic first visit aimed at healing ties between Baghdad and Paris which opposed the 2003 US-led invasion.
"My coming here is to tell French companies: the time has come, come and invest," Sarkozy told a joint news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on the first ever visit by a French president.
Sarkozy said a large French business delegation would follow him to Baghdad "by the summer" led by Prime Minister Francois Fillon and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.
French businessmen have steered clear of the war-battered country for fear of attacks and kidnappings, but security has improved noticeably since a US military surge launched two years ago.
Sarkozy also announced plans to build a new embassy in Baghdad and French consulates in Arbil, the Kurdish capital in northern Iraq, and in the main southern city of Basra.
Defence, oil and water are all key sectors for cooperation with Iraq, he said. "We are ready to listen to the requests of the Iraqis."
Under Sarkozy's predecessor Jacques Chirac, France maintained good relations with Saddam Hussein's regime and was an outspoken opponent of the invasion which overthrew it, stirring tension with the administration of then US president George W. Bush.
"I came to express the solidarity of France," the French leader said alongside Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, shortly after receiving a red carpet welcome in Baghdad.
"It is now that we must help Iraq, it's now that we must commit," said Sarkozy, who was accompanied by Kouchner.
"I came to show France's willingness to take part in the economic development of Iraq, in the rehabilitation of its infrastructure," he said. "Our collaboration has no limits."
Sarkozy vowed France would stand "beside Iraq, from the beginning, on the path to success. The world is in need of a strong, united and sovereign Iraq."
Sarkozy said at the news conference that France would work with Iraq in business as well as security.
"We seek cooperation in the economic field, energy, rebuilding, and to help the police, security and Iraqi military forces, as well as restoring the international position of Iraq," he said.
"We can also help you on the diplomatic front," the French president said. "Our support will be constant and without interference."
Talabani called Sarkozy's visit "historic," and paid tribute to the solidarity that France displayed towards Iraq at the time of the invasion six years ago.
"This is an historic visit, as this is the first time for a French king or a president to visit Iraq," Talabani said. "It is our honour to welcome the French president, as he is a close friend of Iraqis."
Later Tuesday, Sarkozy travelled to Oman, where he stressed the importance of Iraq for the Middle Eastern region.
"Politically, Iraq is an extremely important country for the stability of the region," Sarkozy told reporters ahead of talks with Oman's ruler, Sultan Qaboos bin Said.
"Iraq has recovered its sovereignty and has revived democracy," he added, referring to provincial elections last month which passed off without major incident. "It is a country in which we have a major interest."
The French president is on a regional tour that was also to take him to the Gulf states of Bahrain and Kuwait, besides Oman.
His trip to the Gulf aims to reinforce French influence, and although he is expected to sign agreements during the trip "he is not there to announce large contracts," his office said on Monday.
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