Free Republic

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russian companies are prepared to invest as much as $4 billion in Iraq and expect to be active in rebuilding the country. At the start of talks in Moscow Monday with the current head of Iraq's U.S.-appointed Governing Council, Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, Mr. Putin noted that Moscow and Baghdad have historically had good relations and he expects those relations to continue. Mr. al-Hakim leads a delegation from Iraq's Governing Council that is meeting with Mr. Putin and other top Russian officials. The discussions will include the Iraqi debt to Moscow and Iraq's existing multi-billion-dollar contracts with...