U.S., France Seek to Mend Relations at UN Meeting

Reuters ^ | 2-6-04 | Saul Hudson

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UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States and France sought on Friday to put behind them last year's meltdown over Iraq as the main antagonists in the dispute returned to the United Nations to discuss postwar cooperation.

Secretary of State Colin Powell and French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin emphasized their shared concern to rebuild Iraq a year after the two diplomats clashed at the world body over the U.S. case for war.

"We had a major disagreement last year, but you know, disagreements come and disagreements go," Powell told reporters before his 90-minute lunch meeting with Villepin.

"This year I think we are in agreement that what we have to do is help the people of Iraq build a democracy, to transfer sovereignty to the Iraqi people as quickly as is possible."

Villepin echoed the sentiment. "France and the United States have had differences but today we need to make the political process a success for Iraq, for the region," he said after the lunch on the sidelines of a U.N.-U.S. fund-raising conference on Liberia.

Friday's meeting could help seal a gradual reconciliation that gained momentum last month when Washington opened the door to French companies to compete for reconstruction contracts in Iraq, after barring them from a first wave of bidding.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan also welcomed the meeting. "It's an evolution in the right direction," he said.

COUNCIL SHOWDOWN

On Feb. 5 last year, Powell made the key U.S. presentation to the United Nations on Iraq's suspected banned weapons in findings that were immediately challenged and have since been exposed as relying on flawed intelligence.

Powell and Villepin clashed then and at other appearances as France rallied Germany and Russia to its side in opposing a U.S. invasion of Iraq and threatened to veto any U.N. Security Council resolution Washington might seek to support a war.

Many Americans were so angered they started referring to French fries as "freedom fries."

The United States eventually launched its first pre-emptive war without U.N. backing and with only a limited military coalition.

With U.S. casualties mounting in a guerrilla war, Washington is hoping nations like France will eventually put troops into Iraq and it has appealed to the United Nations to break an impasse with Iraqis over a sovereignty handover.

Washington and Paris, which is traditionally the most critical of all U.S. allies, still do not agree across the board.

Villepin reiterated his resistance to NATO sending troops to Iraq, saying such a move would have to wait at least until after the United States handed back sovereignty to Baghdad.

Powell refused to commit the United States to supporting a U.N. peacekeeping force for the Ivory Coast despite Villepin's plea the mission was urgent for the West African nation to recover from its civil war.

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[GulfWar1Vet]

Pa, do we hafta make up?

sarcasm off/

[SouthernFreebird]

This was a stab in the back, not a disagreement.

I think Kerry would say it best........

[Ragirl]

Villepin echoed the sentiment. "France and the United States have had differences but today we need to make the political process a success for Iraq, for the region," he said after the lunch on the sidelines of a U.N.-U.S. fund-raising conference on Liberia.

Oh, yes.....after American (not french) blood was spilled in Iraq, they want to get in on the action now. How french of them. I hate Vilepaininthearse.