BAGHDAD (Thomson Financial) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner began a surprise visit to Iraq on Sunday, the first such trip by a senior French official since the 2003 US-led invasion which Paris vehemently opposed.
Kouchner visited the UN compound in Baghdad to pay tribute to 22 people killed when the mission was hit by a powerful bomb exactly four years ago.
Among those who died was the head of the mission Sergio Vieira de Mello, a personal friend of Kouchner, and three officials who had worked with the French minister when he was the senior UN representative in Kosovo.
The 2003 attack prompted the UN to order most personnel out of Iraq, but earlier this month the UN Security Council, under pressure from Washington, agreed to a limited expansion of its mission.
Asked if the UN should play a bigger role in Iraq, Kouchner replied: 'I hope so. It is more up to the Iraqis than it is up to us. If it was only up to the French, the UN would play a very important role.'
Kouchner's surprise visit drew praise The White House, which said the trip to Iraq is a sign of mounting global efforts to stabilize that war-torn country.
'This is one more example, along with the new UN mandate, the neighbors conference process and recent announcements by Saudi Arabia to open an embassy and forgive Saddam era debt, of a growing international desire to help Iraq become a stable and secure country,' national security spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomson.com hjp COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.