France to open new "Envoy Bureau" in Northern Iraq
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Following shortly on the heels of its parliamentary approval of a bill aimed at penalizing those who publicly deny Armenian genocide claims, France is preparing another move which seems destined to annoy Ankara. France has announced it will be opening up an "Envoy Bureau" in Northern Iraq, in order to better keep tabs on the situation in the Kurdish region there.
According to a statement from French Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei, France will open its new bureau in the Northern Iraqi city of Erbil in January, 2007. The new "Envoy Bureau" will be run by a diplomat with ties to the French Embassy in Baghdad. Spokeman Mattei, in a statement to Hurriyet yesterday, analyzed the new developments as such:
"Like Turkey, we also follow a policy of defending the unity of Iraqi soil. Within this framework, we maintain an embassy in Baghdad. But it is true that we are planning on opening an "Envoy Bureau" in Erbil, one which will be linked to the embassy in Baghdad."
Iraqi President Jelal Talabani is expected in coming days in Paris, to meet with French President Jacques Chirac, as well as other top French diplomats.