PARIS – Iraqi President Barham Saleh is starting a two-day visit to France with a focus on the country's security and the fight against the Islamic State group in the region.
Saleh will have a working lunch Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron. They are expected to discuss the case of French citizens who traveled to fight with IS in Iraq and Syria and are now being detained by the U.S.-led coalition's forces.
The U.S. has called for countries to take back and try their own nationals. France's official position states that French "terrorist" fighters "must be tried wherever they committed their crimes," according to the French foreign affairs ministry.
The French presidency said France intends to reaffirm its full support to Iraq to face challenges regarding security, stability, inclusive governance and the country's reconstruction.