First Published 2009-07-02, Last Updated 2009-07-02 12:08:05
France seeks to bank on war-wrecked Iraq
-------------------------
French PM accompanied by business delegation aims to raise France’s business profile in Iraq.
By Raphael Hermano - BAGHDAD
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon arrived in Baghdad on Thursday with a delegation of officials and business leaders seeking to raise France's profile in Iraq.
"Iraqis were keen to remove themselves from American guardianship, and that is because they want to do business with other investors that they know well, among them the French," a Fillon aide told journalists.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said his country was looking forward to France playing a key role in its oil-dependent economy.
"Our country wants France to be a strategic partner, particularly in trade, and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has indicated his desire to see bilateral relations grow significantly."
Fillon, whose country opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, arrived just two days after US troops withdrew from urban areas under a security pact that will see them leave the country by the end of 2011.
His visit also comes after Iraq managed to close only one of several deals for foreign energy giants to participate in developing the country's extensive oil and gas resources.
An aide to the French premier said there was significant corporate interest in Iraq, although there were lingering concerns over security in a country that is still seeing deadly violence on a daily basis.
"Security is the major worry for the French," he said.
Even so, "if we had wanted, we could have brought along the entire CAC 40," he said in reference to the stock market index of France's major companies. "No one turned down an invitation."
Among those travelling with Fillon and Finance Minister Christine Lagarde are the heads of oil major Total, the Lafarge building materials group and European aerospace giant EADS.
Fillon is expected to meet Maliki before travelling to Sulaimaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan to meet President Jalal Talabani.
Five memorandums of understanding are expected to be signed in the areas of armed forces, security, trade and training, Dabbagh said.
A Fillon aide added that there will be a deal on reciprocal protection of investments, training civil engineers and the establishment of a joint commission of corporate chiefs.
The French premier's trip follows a visit by Maliki to Paris in May, while French President Nicolas Sarkozy was in Iraq in February, on the first such visit ever by a French head of state.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/en...iraq/?id=33030
France seeks to bank on war-wrecked Iraq
-------------------------
French PM accompanied by business delegation aims to raise France’s business profile in Iraq.
By Raphael Hermano - BAGHDAD
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon arrived in Baghdad on Thursday with a delegation of officials and business leaders seeking to raise France's profile in Iraq.
"Iraqis were keen to remove themselves from American guardianship, and that is because they want to do business with other investors that they know well, among them the French," a Fillon aide told journalists.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said his country was looking forward to France playing a key role in its oil-dependent economy.
"Our country wants France to be a strategic partner, particularly in trade, and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has indicated his desire to see bilateral relations grow significantly."
Fillon, whose country opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, arrived just two days after US troops withdrew from urban areas under a security pact that will see them leave the country by the end of 2011.
His visit also comes after Iraq managed to close only one of several deals for foreign energy giants to participate in developing the country's extensive oil and gas resources.
An aide to the French premier said there was significant corporate interest in Iraq, although there were lingering concerns over security in a country that is still seeing deadly violence on a daily basis.
"Security is the major worry for the French," he said.
Even so, "if we had wanted, we could have brought along the entire CAC 40," he said in reference to the stock market index of France's major companies. "No one turned down an invitation."
Among those travelling with Fillon and Finance Minister Christine Lagarde are the heads of oil major Total, the Lafarge building materials group and European aerospace giant EADS.
Fillon is expected to meet Maliki before travelling to Sulaimaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan to meet President Jalal Talabani.
Five memorandums of understanding are expected to be signed in the areas of armed forces, security, trade and training, Dabbagh said.
A Fillon aide added that there will be a deal on reciprocal protection of investments, training civil engineers and the establishment of a joint commission of corporate chiefs.
The French premier's trip follows a visit by Maliki to Paris in May, while French President Nicolas Sarkozy was in Iraq in February, on the first such visit ever by a French head of state.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/en...iraq/?id=33030