ARAB-EUROPEAN RELATIONS - Jan. 16 - French Role In post-US Iraq.

Responding to a question during his New Year's reception for the press about whether France could envision sending troops to Iraq when the US-led occupation ends and sovereignty has returned to the Iraqi people, De Villepin says: "In this context, this is not an issue at the moment". But he does not categorically rule out a possible troop deployment at a later stage, saying: "We shall have the opportunity to look in detail at this when a government has been formed in Iraq". He reiterates Paris' position that French support could take the form of a training mission for the police. "We are already working on the possibility of responding in the area of security, in particular through the creation of a school for gendarmes or by training the police". He says after sovereignty is handed over next June, "We'll see what the Iraqi authorities are asking for in terms of security". At another point, he says: "We will clarify our position once a government has been formed in Iraq", adding: "For us, the issue of the current political void is at the heart of the Iraqi question". His remarks mirrors those of Pres. Chirac in an interview with The NYT last September. At one point, Chirac ruled out the idea of an eventual deployment of combat troops, saying: "We are talking about training, and not sending troops to Iraq, of course". But at another point, he was slightly less categorical. After saying, "As things are now, there is no situation where I can imagine that France would send troops to Iraq", Chirac added: "Everything could change. I don't have a crystal ball. But for the moment, this is the position of France and the position of a number of countries". Since then, there has been widespread speculation on what France, with its superior military and vast experience in peacekeeping missions, would be willing to do to help improve the critical security situation in Iraq. Le Monde, citing an unnamed adviser, reported in its Jan. 16 editions that Chirac was considering sending a military contingent to Iraq to serve under a UN mandate after sovereignty is restored. The possibility of French help in improving Iraq's security was also underscored in remarks to reporters by French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, before heading to Washington on Jan. 15: "We have said notably that we could play a role in defence as concerns training the future Iraqi Army and police". She said France, Germany and Japan could work together closely to train Iraq's police officers and soldiers after sovereignty is restored. After meeting with Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in Washington on Jan. 15, Alliot-Marie said she believed there was a "real willingness to turn the page on tensions between the US and France". She added: "I really had the impression that the situation had become unfrozen and that there was a desire to resume normal relations". In recent weeks, Chirac has signalled that France was looking for ways to play a more active role in the Atlantic alliance and even in Iraq.