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Defense - European Defense
Interview given by Michèle Alliot-Marie, Minister of Defense, to "Europe 1" (excerpts)
Paris, September 23, 2004
Q. – NATO agreed last night to send instructors to Iraq to train Iraqi army officers. Will you confirm that France won't send any soldiers to Baghdad to train them?
THE MINISTER – There won't be any French military in Baghdad. The solution in Iraq is in the first place a political solution. The Iraqis must genuinely feel they have regained their sovereignty; seeing more foreign military uniforms on the ground won't encourage this. It doesn't mean that we won't contribute to Iraq's reconstruction, but we won't do it on Iraqi territory. Q. – So there will be no presence, no active involvement of France at the military level in today's chaotic situation in Iraq?
THE MINISTER – Precisely. We think there are things to do to help in that country's reconstruction and we are ready to contribute to them. We have in fact already made a number of proposals, but there's no question for us, I repeat, of sending French military into that country. (...)./.
Embassy of France in the United States - September 23, 2004
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