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AMMAN (AFP)--French Prime Minister Francois Fillon arrived in the Jordanian capital Thursday en route to Baghdad with a delegation of French business leaders.

Fillon was expected to arrive in Baghdad at 10 a.m. (0700 GMT) where he will meet Iraqi counterpart Nuri al-Maliki before travelling to Sulaimaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan to meet President Jalal Talabani.

Several agreements are expected to be signed during the visit, Fillon's office said.

The delegation includes finance minister Christine Lagarde and the heads of the Total S.A. (TOT) oil company, Lafarge S.A. (LFRGY) building materials group and the European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. (EADSY) among others.

Maliki visited Paris in May, while French President Nicolas Sarkozy was in Iraq in February.