Democrats NEVER figure out that throwing up your hands apologizing for doing the right thing, does not do the trick!
France, Germany OK Iraq debt relief
By Colleen Barry, Associated Press,
BERLIN -- President Bush's special envoy on Iraq won agreement yesterday from Germany and France, two of the most ardent opponents of the American-led war, to ease Baghdad's huge debt burden.
The agreement came after former secretary of state James A. Baker III overcame serious German misgivings during a meeting with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder about the US exclusion of German firms from Iraqi reconstruction. Baker earlier had what he called "very fruitful" talks with French President Jacques Chirac in Paris.
France, Germany, and the United States agree that there should be substantial debt reduction for Iraq in the Paris Club, a 19-member group of creditor nations, the leaders of the three nations said in a joint statement Monday afternoon.
"Debt reduction is critical if the Iraqi people are to have any chance to build a free and prosperous Iraq," according to the statement by Bush, Chirac, and Schroeder. The three said they will "work closely with each other and with other countries to achieve this objective."
The three nations have agreed that having a new government in place is not a precondition for moving forward on debt forgiveness, a senior Bush administration official said. Iraq owes $40 billion to the United States, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, and others in the Paris Club. Other countries and private creditors are owed at least $80 billion.
The agreement was the first concrete cooperation in rebuilding postwar Iraq from France and Germany. The two nations tried to prevent the war and have refused to contribute troops.
It appeared to be an effort to project a united front. Germany and France have been eager to reconcile with the United States despite their misgivings about the US invasion.
Germany repeated its concerns about the contract issue, and US officials left open the possibility that they would discuss it further.
"We all share the same goal of helping the Iraqi people build a better future, a future that is free and prosperous," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
Baker's five-nation lobbying mission was complicated by the Pentagon's exclusion of war opponents from $18.6 billion in US-financed reconstruction projects. His next stops are Rome, Moscow, and London.
After learning it could not participate in the reconstruction projects, Russia, which is owed $8 billion by Iraq, said it had no intention of writing off debt.
Asked whether the United States might revise its contract policy, US Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday it was a matter for negotiations between US agencies.
boston.com |
