French Leader Pledges Economic Support to Iraq
By VOA News
10 February 2009
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has made his first trip to Iraq, where he vowed to help the war-ravaged nation rebuild its economy.
Mr. Sarkozy urged French companies Tuesday to return to Iraq, and pledged that a French business delegation would visit the country later this year.
He spoke in Baghdad at a press conference following meetings with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Mr. Sarkozy is the first French president to ever visit the country. France strongly opposed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, straining French-U.S. relations.
But Mr. Sarkozy has sought to improve ties with Washington and Baghdad since taking office in 2007.
Officials said France plans to build a new embassy in Baghdad and open consulates in the Kurdish city of Irbil and the southern city of Basra.
Violence has declined significantly in Iraq over the past year, and the U.S. plans to end its military presence there in the coming years.
Security is still a major concern, however. More than 4,000 U.S. troops have died in Iraq, including four killed Monday by a suicide car bomber.
Mr. Obama said late Monday that his administration is reviewing a Defense Department policy that bans photography of the caskets of dead service members arriving in the United States.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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