France ready to help more in Iraq - Chirac

4.10pm

PARIS - France is ready to play a greater role in rebuilding Iraq and has invited Iraqi President Ghazi Yawar for talks in Paris next month, President Jacques Chirac said in a speech on Friday.

Chirac also stressed France's desire to strengthen ties with the United States after the row over the Iraq war, calling for a "dynamic and balanced transatlantic partnership".

"France is open to dialogue with the Iraqi authorities on all issues -- training of security forces, on debt, indeed on any issue relating to reconstruction and the well-being of the Iraqi people," Chirac said in an annual address to French ambassadors.


"It is in that spirit that I shall receive the Iraqi president early in September," said Chirac.

He added that the rebuilding of Iraq would be a "long road along which every new day brings new difficulties and setbacks" but noted that the process was at least now under way.

An accord was reached in July to send a Nato team to Iraqi help train security forces, but only after Paris and Washington quarrelled over the scope of the alliance's presence there.

Diplomatic sources say France has offered to help train police officers but not soldiers and is still awaiting a reply to that offer from Iraqi authorities. French officials have repeatedly ruled out any question of sending troops to Iraq.

France and Iraq formally restored diplomatic ties in July after a 13-year break over Baghdad's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

Paris has pledged limited forgiveness of Iraqi debt and hopes that strengthening ties with Baghdad will help its companies win contracts take part in the reconstruction of Iraq.

Despite the latest dispute over the role of Nato in Iraq, France is also keen to rebuild ties with the United States.

Some observers suggest a win for Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry in the November 2 US election would boost ties between Washington and those European capitals that opposed the war, but Chirac backed away from showing any preference.

"In a few weeks, the US elections will take place. Now as in the future, France, friend and ally of the United States, is convinced that a dynamic and balanced transatlantic partnership is essential to meet our common challenges," he said.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq