PARIS: After years of shunning involvement in a war it said was wrong, France now believes it may hold the key to peace in Iraq, proposing itself as an "honest broker" between the Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish factions.
The shift was one of the most concrete consequences yet of the thaw in French-American relations following the election in May of President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose administration no longer feels bound by the adamant refusal to take a role in Iraq that characterized the reign of his predecessor, Jacques Chirac.
This could be the best thing in Iraq right now. An outside force that could enter the situation, that wasn't involved in the conflict and focus on assisting the groups in discussion. France does have the advantage of not having any history in the region of occupation. This is also a good sign that the new French government appears to be more open to friendly relations than the last one.
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