Sarkozy: Remove foreign troops, end civil war

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the prospect of a U.S. troop pullout from Iraq would help lead to a political settlement among the warring parties there.

"Defining a clear prospect for the withdrawal of foreign troops'' is required for Iraq to move out of civil war, he said in a speech to French ambassadors in Paris today. ``The only possible solution is a political solution.''

France is increasing its diplomatic involvement in Iraq, seeking to ease lingering tensions with the U.S. from then- President Jacques Chirac's opposition to the American-led toppling of Saddam Hussein. ``France was and remains hostile to this war,'' Sarkozy said today. Link