Maliki, Sarkozy meet in Baghdad

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday received French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who arrived earlier in the day in the capital Baghdad, according to al-Iraqiya TV. Earlier today, Sarkozy arrived in Baghdad on a state visit and was received by his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talabani and a number of Iraqi officials. Sarkozy’s visit to Baghdad is the first since he came into office in May 2007. On November 17, 2007, Talabani paid a visit to France, where he was received by Sarkozy at the Elysee, the French presidential palace. France had strong relations with Iraq before the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime. It was a main trade partner for Iraq, which supplied the former regime with weapons. It was one of the opponents of the U.S.-led war in Iraq. SS (P) 1