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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Sarkozy pays first visit to Iraq | Sarkozy pays first visit to Iraq |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| French President Nicolas Sarkozy is in Baghdad on the first visit by a French head of state to Iraq since Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003. | |
| The visit is seen as a major step in his efforts to rebuild ties with Iraq and the US after French opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq. | The visit is seen as a major step in his efforts to rebuild ties with Iraq and the US after French opposition to the US-led invasion of Iraq. |
| That opposition led to US boycotts of French products. | That opposition led to US boycotts of French products. |
| Mr Sarkozy is meeting Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, French and Iraqi officials say. | |
| Mr Sarkozy has been working to rebuild Franco-American relations since they reached a low point under his predecessor Mr Chirac. | |
| French opposition to the war saw some Americans boycotting French wine and cheese and renaming french fries as "freedom fries". | |
| Mr Sarkozy's visit comes as US President Barack Obama is seeking to lessen the US commitment to Iraq while pressing European nations to boost their support for the mission in Afghanistan. | |
| France did not contribute to the coalition invasion of Iraq, but the country has a contingent in Afghanistan which Mr Sarkozy strengthened last year. |