Today's Date:

THE MINISTER – It's a pleasure for me to be in Paris today with my Iraqi opposite number, Mr Zebari, whom I met in Brussels on 22 June this year and have just seen in Barcelona, and who's here with us today for a bilateral meeting.

I began by telling him again of the huge importance we attach to a regular dialogue between Iraq and France.

I also repeated to him our willingness to assist in his country's reconstruction efforts and support the ongoing political process in Iraq.

As you know, this process is currently seeing some major developments. Firstly, the adoption of the Constitution by referendum on 15 October 2005, then the meeting in Cairo of a great number of Iraqi political figures, and the new parliamentary elections on 15 December are all stages on which the next phase of the transition depends.

This is why it's important for the electorate to be able to turn out to vote in these December parliamentary elections as they did in the Constitutional referendum. All Iraqis must be able to vote at these elections on 15 December 2005.

In this respect, the initiative, taken by the Arab League for the Cairo meeting, which allowed a constructive dialogue between Iraqi leaders of all persuasions, inspires hope. France welcomes this, because it is consistent with the aim of unification and sovereignty which she's constantly promoted. France values territorial sovereignty above all else.

It's essential to sustain the momentum created by the Cairo meeting. So we're urging all the participants to implement its conclusions so that the national reconciliation conference, scheduled for late February/early March 2006, produces concrete results and above all finds a consensus on Iraq's new institutions.

We're calling for all the participants of the Cairo meeting to support the Arab League at a national reconciliation conference. France is pushing for this.

In this respect, the Parliament elected in December will, at the constitutional and legislative levels, have a decisive role in devising the parameters of an institutional balance which all Iraqis must find acceptable. On this depends the return of peace and stability in Iraq.

THE MINISTER – On the contrary, I want to say that the fact that my opposite number has come here proves the degree to which we can work together in this area. France's participation in Iraq's reconstruction is significant. Overall, if we add together all the money spent on cooperation – over 500 Iraqi officials have come to France for training – the humanitarian aid and our contribution to European Union aid – €34 million –, this has totalled nearly €50 million in 2005.

Let me add that the bilateral agreement allowing implementation of the agreement to reduce the Iraqi debt which the minister has just talked about, concluded at the Paris Club last year, should be signed very soon. The treatment of the Iraqi government debt, reducing it by a total of 80% by 2008, is costing France around €4 billion.

That's the work which has been done. I could add, of course, that with the Europeans, in July we organized the stay in France of 40 police officers in the framework of the EUJUST Lex programme and we are ready to organize a training course at the French Legal Service Training College.

On the bilateral front, as I told you, 500 Iraqi officials have come. Next year we intend to pursue this programme of inviting Iraqi officials to France and are ready to provide the Iraqi authorities with our constitutional expertise.

THE MINISTER – Saddam Hussein's trial is the opportunity for the Iraqi people to shed full light on all the crimes, all the injustices for which he's blamed. We're keen to see the trial proceed with total respect for the rights of the defence, totally impartially and complying with international law. I might add that France, with her European partners, informed the Iraqi authorities, back in September 2005, that we were against the death penalty under any circumstances./.