Posted on 01/27/2004 9:05:30 PM PST by yonif
PARIS - France has been assured by a US government official that French companies will be able to take part in the second round of bids for Iraqi reconstruction contracts, a French government spokeswoman says. The US under secretary of commerce for international trade, Grant Aldonas, told French Foreign Trade Minister Francois Loos that French companies would be able to "compete directly and freely" for rounds of reconstruction contracts in Iraq in the future, the spokeswoman for the French ministry said.
Aldonas, during talks on Tuesday, "confirmed that French companies will be able to intervene as subcontractor for the first tranche of contracts for Iraq's reconstruction", she added.
The United States announced in December that countries that opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq would be excluded from bidding for US-funded reconstruction contracts.
Canada, France, Germany and Russia were therefore prevented from the first round of bidding for contracts to rebuild Iraq. But Washington said earlier this month that France and other countries that opposed the war could be allowed to bid for reconstruction projects.
Loos and Aldonas also agreed to set up a working group to support exports by French companies to the United States and vice versa, the spokeswoman said.
France has been trying to turn the page on its deep differences with the United States over the Iraq war since mid-2003. The atmosphere has improved since France and Germany agreed in December to help US efforts to restructure and reduce Iraq's huge foreign debt.
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