France seeks a role in Iraq

BAGHDAD - President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday became the first French head of state to visit Iraq, smoothing over lingering resentment about France's opposition to the war and positioning his country to cash in on lucrative arms and oil deals.

The one-day visit, part of a Persian Gulf tour, took place as the Obama administration prepares to draw down the 144,000-strong U.S. military force and signals France's intention to play a diplomatic role in a region dominated by the United States.

"I want to underscore France's desire to participate in the economic development of Iraq, the rehabilitation of its infrastructures," Sarkozy told reporters after meeting Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. "Our collaboration has no limits."

The French leader, who met later with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, praised Iraq for dramatic improvements in security, including provincial elections held last month without major bloodshed.

With signs of stability emerging, Sarkozy said France "wants to turn toward the future" as Iraq moved away from "the painful pages that it has been living through these past years." He urged French companies to invest in Iraq and called on his fellow Europeans to follow his lead.

"It is in Europe's interest to extend a hand here and to support the peace," he said.

Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac, spearheaded the international campaign against the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, angering both the United States and Iraqi exiles who later rose to power after Saddam Hussein's Sunni-led regime collapsed. Many current Iraqi leaders, including Maliki, were unable to return to Iraq until the Americans and their allies toppled Hussein.

Nevertheless, Iraqi leaders appeared eager to forget the past and shore up their ties with a major European nation, easing their dependence on the United States.

Maliki alluded to that yesterday when a reporter asked for his reaction to comments last week by Vice President Biden, who told House Democrats that the new administration would be "much more aggressive in forcing" the Iraqis to resolve their political problems.

"The time for announcements is over," Maliki snapped yesterday. "The Iraqi government knows its responsibilities."

Maliki also said the French would build a new embassy in Baghdad and open consulates in two Iraqi cities, Irbil in the north and Basra in the south.

"Soon a delegation of French companies will be visiting Iraq to discuss doing business in Iraq, and not just in the areas of security and defense," Maliki said, adding that Iraq's defense and oil ministers would visit France to discuss cooperation in those fields.

Before departing for Oman, Sarkozy welcomed security gains in Iraq but cautioned that the situation remained fragile, a view shared by U.S. officials in Baghdad.