The French president said "the prime minister and myself noted that some progress has been achieved in the discussions and I do hope we can reach a conclusion", the agency added.

BBC: Manmohan Singh: French fighter jet talks 'going well'

But progress has been achieved in the sense that some parts of that overall framework oil and gas law have been approved.

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Some critics dismiss this progress and point to the fact that only one Iraqi battalion has achieved complete independence from the coalition.

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