BAGHDAD, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner made a surprise visit to Baghdad on Sunday, French foreign ministry said in a statement.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (R) shakes hands with France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner in Baghdad August 19, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

    The French foreign minister arrived in Baghdad on groundbreaking visit on Sunday afternoon, the first by a French minister since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

    The aim of Kouchner's surprise visit to Baghdad has not been clear, yet.

    Other foreign media quoted the spokesman of French foreign ministry Hugues Moret as reporting that French foreign minister's visit was at the invitation of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner (L) and his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari attend a memorial at the UN headquarters in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone during a surprise visit to Iraq. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)