WASHINGTON, 12 December 2003 — US President George W. Bush’s envoy for Iraqi debt, James Baker, will leave yesterday on a European trip that will take him to France, Germany, Italy, Russia and Britain, the White House said yesterday. The former secretary of state will aim to convince those countries’ leaders to lighten the crippling debt incurred under Saddam Hussein, toppled in April after a US-led invasion, said Bush spokesman Scott McClellan. He will report back to the US leader upon his return.
The sensitive mission comes as Washington has announced that it is excluding firms from countries that opposed the war — such as France, Germany and Russia — from major reconstruction contracts in Iraq.
The International Monetary Fund puts Iraq’s debt at an estimated $120 billion, of which $41 billion is owed to the 19-member Paris Club of creditor nations.
On Wednesday, Bush telephoned Presidents Jacques Chirac of France and Vladimir Putin of Russia, as well as German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, to discuss Baker’s impending mission.
They also discussed the Pentagon’s decision to exclude French, Russian and German firms from lucrative Iraq deals, a White House official said.
The New York Times reported that the timing of that decision embarrassed the White House and put Bush in an awkward position to make the calls. But a Bush aide said the appeal was planned before the Pentagon’s decision was announced.
