Sarkozy calls for troop exit from Iraq

PARIS: President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday called for a clear timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq as he outlined an assertive role for France in other world hotspots.   

Making his first foreign policy speech since taking office, Sarkozy recalled that France had opposed the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 but that it was now ready to help the international community bring about a political solution.   

"A clear horizon must be defined concerning the withdrawal of foreign troops," Sarkozy said in the address to French ambassadors from 180 countries.   

"It is the awaited decision on this issue that will force the players to weigh their responsibility and organise themselves accordingly," he said.   

The address came just hours after Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner was forced to make an embarrassing apology for suggesting that Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki stand down.   

Kouchner took French foreign policy in a new direction last week when he paid a visit to Baghdad, offering to help stabilise the country and mediate between the warring communities.   

Maliki had angrily demanded an apology on Sunday from Kouchner after he was quoted in the US magazine Newsweek as saying: "I just had Rice on the phone 10 or 15 minutes ago, and I told her, 'Listen, he's got to be replaced.'"   

"If the prime minister wants me to excuse myself for having interfered in Iraqi affairs in such a direct way, then I do so willingly," Kouchner told French radio RTL.   

Describing the standoff over Iran's nuclear programme as "undoubtedly the most serious crisis before us today," Sarkozy said France was determined to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb, saying a nuclear-armed Iran was "unacceptable".   

The statement stood in contrast to his predecessor Jacques Chirac who in February admitted in an interview that a nuclear-armed Iran may be inevitable, sparking consternation in western capitals which had maintained a tough line with Tehran.   

Sarkozy held out the prospect of rewarding Tehran if it backs down.   

"France will spare no effort to convince Iran that it has much to gain by engaging in serious negotiations with the Europeans, the Americans, the Chinese and the Russians," he said.   

Sarkozy, widely seen as more pro-American than Chirac, asserted that he was a "friend of Israel," but that he also had good relations with Arab governments.   

The president stated that France would not allow a 'Hamastan' to emerge in the Palestinian territories after the takeover of the Gaza Strip by the radical group in June.   

"We cannot resign ourselves to this outcome," said Sarkozy.   

The president asserted the importance of the Franco-American friendship but added that France was free to disagree with the United States. "To be allied does not mean to be aligned," he said.   

The French leader made the case for a "strong Europe", saying France would in the coming months take "very strong" initiatives to build European defence and renew NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.   

He appeared to soften his stance on Turkey, saying France would not block negotiations between the European Union and Ankara over Turkish membership as long as the 27-nation bloc engaged in a "vital reflection" on its borders.   

Sarkozy also took a swipe at President Vladimir Putin, saying Russia was staging a comeback on the world scene by using its oil and gas wealth with "brutality".   

"When you're a great power, you must ignore brutality," said Sarkozy.   

The 52-year-old French leader has been active on the diplomatic front since taking office in May and is due to travel to New York in September to address the United Nations General Assembly.   

He is also planning a trip to China and to Sudan's troubled Darfur province with his British counterpart Gordon Brown.