By NNN-KUNA,
Baghdad : Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has confirmed continuing Iraqi-US negotiations on a long-term strategic agreement.
Zebari was speaking at a joint news conference here Sunday with visiting French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner.
“Our negotiations are still continuing. I believe that we have made major steps to achieve the deal regarding the strategy and agreement on the status of the security forces. We have sent a technical delegation to Germany, Turkey, South Korea and Japan to get acquainted with the details of their agreements following the end of war,” he said.
On the fear of some neighbouring countries over the Iraqi-US deal, Zebari said: “We have confirmed to our neighbours that such a deal would not be against their national interests.”
He called on the French government to support Iraq in the political and economic fields.
He stressed the significance of French support for reconciliation and investment efforts in Iraq, and for the extension of the mandate of multinational forces in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Kouchner vowed that his country would stand by Iraq in the UN and international community.
He said Baghdad-Paris ties were being continuously developed, reflecting favourably on the improving security situation in Iraq.
Kouchner voiced France’s willingness to carry out several projects in Iraq and to increase the number of scholarships for Iraqi students in Paris.
He also promised that his country would seek to settle the issue of Iraqi refugees.
He hoped that his visit to Iraq would be a springboard for cementing relations with the Iraqi people and supporting southern cities.
Kouchner is here on an official visit to Iraq at the invitation of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. This is his second visit to Iraq in less than a year.
During his stay here, Kouchner opened a French diplomatic office in Irbil, in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
Kouchner, who is co-founder of the international organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres, arrived here on Saturday from Jordan where he signed an agreement to help the country develop its nuclear energy programme.