Iraq as investment opportunity

FRENCH President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent trip to Iraq was a good omen for Iraq and also for America.

Sarkozy was candid about his aims. "I came to show France's willingness to take part in the economic development of Iraq, in the rehabilitation of its infrastructure," he said. "Our collaboration has no limits." Left unsaid was a desire to make sure the French oil company Total - which once held contracts with Saddam Hussein - will be given consideration as Iraq begins writing new contracts with foreign oil companies.

This ulterior commercial motive is precisely what makes Sarkozy's Iraqi sojourn a positive sign. It says that French oil executives and government analysts have begun to see the light at the end of the Iraqi tunnel. Their interest confirms that security has improved markedly and that Iraqis are starting to resolve their differences by political means. Sarkozy's visit means that France sees Iraq as a sound investment opportunity.

The Obama administration need not be upset that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki used a joint press conference with Sarkozy to rebuke Vice President Joe Biden for saying the United States has to become "more aggressive" in pushing for quicker political reform in Iraq. Maliki's allies had success in the recent provincial elections because of the way he has asserted nationalist independence. He did so by forcefully breaking the hold of rival Shi'ite militias on Basra and other towns, and by standing up to the Americans - demanding they accept a timetable for withdrawal and limits on US prerogatives in Iraq.

The US objective for Iraq should be to see the country become stable and independent. That's what is beginning to happen, and that is what drew Sarkozy to Baghdad.