French leader: Iraq must assert its ‘sovereignty’

Iraq must assert its “sovereignty” despite being caught up in US-Iran tensions, French President Emmanuel Macron said during a visit to Baghdad.

“Iraq has been going through a challenging time for several years, with war and terrorism,” an AFP report quoted Macron as saying.

Macron is the most prominent world leader to visit Iraq since Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhemi came to power in May.

According to AFP, Macron spent just a few hours in the Iraqi capital, where he held talks Iraqi counterpart Barham Saleh, Al-Kadhemi, and an array of political figures to insist Iraq strike a path independent of regional tensions.