Associated Press
The Boston Globe
December 11, 2003

Washington: Former Secretary of State James A. Baker will visit Russia, Great Britain, France, Italy and Germany next week in an effort to persuade those countries to forgive Iraq’s debts.

But Baker’s task could be complicated by a new American policy that aroused anger this week in Russia, France and Germany. It limits eligibility for a slice of $18.6 billion in rebuilding contracts to those countries that participated militarily in the Iraq invasion, or who are deemed “coalition partners.” Russia, France and Germany opposed the war.

The White House sought to refocus the debate Thursday on Iraq’s multibillion-dollar debt load.

“The whole restructuring debt issue is an important priority for the Iraqi people,” White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. “We all share the same goal of helping the Iraqi people build a better and brighter future, and they should not be saddled with the debt of a brutal regime that was more interested in using funds to build palaces and build torture chambers and brutalize the Iraqi people.”

Baker leaves Monday for the trip, which McClellan characterized as “an initial fact-finding mission.” It will bring him back before the holidays, the spokesman said.

Bush called the leaders of France, Germany and Russia on Wednesday to ask them to receive Baker. But the leaders used the conversations to air their concerns about the contracting policy.

McClellan reiterated Thursday that the White House has no intention of rethinking the policy, but Bush “made it very clear that we would keep the lines of communication open,” McClellan said.