KurdistanObserver.com
France To Open Consulate in Erbil, Sources Say
Paris, 31 August (AKI) - France intends to open up a consulate
office in Erbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, French sources
have told Adnkronos International (AKI).
The decision was discussed during French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner's
recent visit to Baghdad, the sources speaking on condition of anonymity told
AKI.
The date on which the office would open was not mentioned but the sources said
that Paris has considered opening a diplomatic posting in Kurdistan before, but
that the move was postponed because of security concerns and the difficulty in
maintaining communications with Baghdad.
The sources denied that a French consulate in Kurdistan would signal a
willingness on the part of France to give recognition to federalism in Iraq,
adding that the office would not work separately from the French embassy in
Baghdad and would only handle consulate affairs.
The sources said the decision to open a consulate in Erbil was taken because of
the economic and political importance of the region.
However, they reiterated that Paris insists on Iraq's territorial unity.
Former French president Jacques Chirac had discussed the matter with his Iraqi
counterpart Jalal Talabani during the latter's visit to Paris last November.
France which opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein,
has refused to move its embassy to Baghdad's fortified green zone where the US
embassy and most of the Iraqi ministries are situated.
