- Two French nationals have been shot dead in northern
Iraq, the French foreign ministry has said.
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- The pair were killed in the town of Falluja, 50 kilometres
(30 miles) west of the capital Baghdad, a Foreign Ministry spokesman is
quoted as saying.
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- A third French national was wounded in the drive-by shooting,
spokesman Herve Ladsous said, quoted by AFP.
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- The killings mark the first French deaths in Iraq since
the US-led war was launched in March last year.
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- The three were reported to be working for a US company
involved in rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure following the war.
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- The BBC's Caroline Hawley in Baghdad says the deaths
underline the difficulty of reconstructing a country in such a precarious
environment.
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- Fragile security
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- AFP quoted diplomats as saying the group were shot at
by a passing vehicle after the car they were travelling in broke down.
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- Mr Ladsous said the contractors were not registered with
French consular services in Iraq.
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- "These tragic events lead us to recall, as posted
on the foreign ministry's website, that it is urgent that all French nationals
currently in Iraq make themselves known to our consular authorities and
to the French interests section," he said.
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- Our correspondent says foreigners in Iraq now tend to
move around with tight security.
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- But, she says, the dangers of working in Iraq have deterred
many businesspeople and potential investors who could help resurrect the
country's economy.
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- France was one of the leading opponents of the US-led
invasion of Iraq and has not sent any troops to join other foreign forces
in Iraq since the end of the war there last May.
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- Falluja is in the so-called Sunni triangle area, where
support for ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein remains strong.
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- © BBC MMIV
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- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3372465.stm
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