"During the frenzied election campaign, the most prominent figure alongside Giscard was Jacques Chirac, a tough and gifted young Gaullist. Pompidou had nicknamed Chirac “the Bulldozer”, evidently considering him a potential president. But at the age of forty-one he had to settle for the number two slot.
On May 27, 1974, he took up his duties as premier. Six months later, on December 1, 1974, he set off for a visit to Iraq, at the invitation of Vice-President Saddam Hussain.
On his arrival at Baghdad airport, the guest was greeted by the entire Iraqi leadership, headed by President Bakr. Chirac and his companions were treated with lavish Eastern hospitality, both sides going out of their way to highlight their friendship.
Hussain soon won the heart of the French Premier. The Bulldozer was much taken with Iraq’s strongman, who impressed Chirac as an imposing leader with a good grasp of his country’s problems and clear ideas on how to solve them. In spite of having read intelligence reports detailing the savagery of Hussain’s policies, Chirac did not appear overperturbed thereby; on the contrary, rumors in the Parisian diplomatic community related that on returning home Chirac began to take Arabic lessons so as to be able to converse with his new friend directly, with no need of interpreters."
Your guess is as good as mine.
ScaniaBoy