MESOP LATEST : French President Expressed Concerns About Security to Iraqi Kurdish Leader

Kuna news – 24.5.2014 – French President Francois Hollande met Friday with the President of the Iraqi Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, to discuss the security situation in Iraq and the need to form a “reconciliation government” in that country.

Hollande’s office said the two men met in the Elysee Palace here and the French leader told Barzani of the “concerns of France regarding the deterioration of the security situation in Iraq.” The country is going through one of the worst periods of sectarian violence since the 2007-2008 conflicts.

Hollande also told the Kurdish leader that he hoped the ongoing electoral process in Iraq can be completed “in full transparency and with respect for the constitutional timetable.” France also supports the establishment of “a government of reconciliation in Iraq” and urges a spirit of unity that will allow all communities to be fairly represented in an executive that will tackle the challenges facing the country, Hollande said. On relations between France and the Kurdish region, the French leader said that he was willing to reinforce these ties “in the framework of the Iraqi federal institutions.” http://www.kuna.net.kw