Iraqi premier Abadi flies to France for talks with President Macron
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. File Photo.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi headed to France on Wednesday afternoon leading a ministerial delegation, with talks with French President Emmanuel Macron intended to focus on terrorism and bilateral relations.
Abadi is heading a delegation comprising the ministers of the defense, industry, petroleum, agriculture, higher education, scientific research, migration and other officials, his office said in a statement.
The talks with French officials will focus on the war on the Islamic State and economic cooperation, as well as French assistance in reconstruction efforts.
Al-Arabiya network said Abadi will hold the meetings with Macron and Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian on Thursday before heading back home on the same day.
Prior to the visit, France’s presidency backtracked on earlier statements which said Macro was intending to resolve a political crisis which resulted from a referendum by Iraqi Kurdistan on independence from the central government in Baghdad.
“President (Macron) … recalled the importance of preserving unity and Iraq’s (territorial) integrity while recognizing the rights of the Kurdish people,” an Elysee statement said Tuesday. “With the priority to fight Islamic State and the stabilization of Iraq, Iraqis must remain united.” But the foreign ministry later made no mention of the Kurdish issue as a topic of talks between Abadi and Macron.
“The visit will tackle two files that had been defined more than one month earlier: bilateral relations and France’s role in boosting Iraqi security and military capabilities,” Iraqi cabinet spokesman Saad al-Hadithi had said in statements to Aljournal News.
Kurdistan said 92 percent voted for independence during the controversial poll held on September 25th that is rejected by Baghdad, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union.