French Foreign Minister begins Middle East tour with visit to Iraq
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot began a tour of the Middle East on Wednesday, starting with Iraq, where he will be looking to strengthen bilateral ties and lay the ground for two key conferences on regional peace. During the two-day Iraqi visit, Mr Barrot will hold meetings with senior officials in Baghdad including Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, as well as members of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan regional government. His visit will 'affirm France's commitment to the stability of Iraq', the French Foreign Ministry said, adding that he will discuss preparations for the third Baghdad Conference aimed at promoting regional stability and co-operation. The conference, which is attended by nations from across the Middle East and Europe, has been organised by Paris and Baghdad since 2021. Discussions will also cover France's 'commitment to continuing the fight against [ISIS], in the context of the transition in neighbouring Syria and the repositioning of the American presence', the ministry added. The US said on Friday that it would reduce its troop presence in Syria by about half, cutting the number of soldiers to fewer than 1,000 in the coming months. Washington also agreed with Baghdad last December to withdraw US troops from some parts of Iraq following their presence there for a decade to help fight ISIS. After Iraq, Mr Barrot will head to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia over three days. The French ministry said Mr Barrot will also discuss preparations for another international conference, to be held in New York in June, on the implementation of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. France is co-organising the event with Saudi Arabia. President Emmanuel Macron this month announced France's intention to recognise a Palestinian state as part of a broader diplomatic drive aimed at securing regional peace and setting up Arab diplomatic relations with Israel. 'What we want to trigger is a series of other recognitions' of a Palestinian state, 'but also the recognition of Israel by states that today do not do so,' Mr Macron said last week.
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