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European leaders are striving to mend relations which were severely strained in the lead-up to the war in Iraq. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been holding talks with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who was a strong opponent of the war in Iraq In a media conference in Hanover, the two leaders said they had large areas of agreement over the future of Iraq, with both wanting the United Nations to play a key role in the reconstruction of the country. In Paris, French President Jacques Chirac had a telephone conversation with President Bush for the first time since Mr...

(IsraelNN.com) Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah sent a letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom and expressed his hope to normalize relations and cooperation between the two countries, Ma'ariv reported. Abdullah also wrote that his country was interested in "working together with peace-loving countries," and mentioned his government's sentiments of friendship toward Israel. Afghanistan is a candidate for a membership at UNESCO and is looking for Israel's support in the process. Shalom will decide in the next days if Israel will comply with the Afghan request. Officials said on Monday that the letter opens the door to direct or...

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Jacques Chirac phoned President Bush (news - web sites) on Tuesday for the first time since well before the war in Iraq (news - web sites) began, saying Paris would play a "pragmatic" role in future developments. Chirac, who angered Washington by opposing U.N. backing for war on Iraq, spoke to Bush for 20 minutes, Chirac spokeswoman Catherine Colonna said, adding that it was their first conversation since February 7 and describing it as "positive." "France believes the international community must do all it can so that things work in its favor and involve the...

PARIS - French President Jacques Chirac and President Bush spoke by telephone for the first time in more than two months Tuesday, in a possible sign of warming ties after their bitter dispute over war in Iraq.

France's Chirac, Bush Speak By Phone PARIS - French President Jacques Chirac, seeking to repair ties frayed by the Iraq (news - web sites) war, spoke with President Bush (news - web sites) for the first time in more than two months Tuesday and appeared to temper earlier demands that the United Nations (news - web sites) be at the center of Iraq's reconstruction. Chirac called Bush and told him in a 20-minute telephone conversation that France is willing to adopt a "pragmatic approach" on postwar issues, said the French leader's spokeswoman, Catherine Colonna. Among the issues cited by Chirac...

Secret meetings precede US-Russia reconciliationBy Pavel Ivanov On Monday US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice suddenly appeared in Moscow for an almost top-secret visit. No press conferences. No statements. Just brief meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the two Ivanovs - Sergey, minister of defense, and Igor, minister of foreign affairs. This secrecy reflects the atmosphere and circumstances in which Washington and Moscow have started mending fences badly damaged by the war in Iraq. Prince Gorchakov, one of the greatest Russian foreign ministers of the 19th century, once said: "Secrecy in diplomacy is needed just in two cases -...

Barry Sheffield of Collierville attends the Rally for America at Olive Branch. Olive Branch rallies for the troops About 2,000 show for patriotic event By Jennifer Biggs biggs@desotoappeal.com April 6, 2003 David Taylor showed up at Olive Branch City Park early Saturday and was rewarded for it. "I was issued the first flag they gave out this morning," Taylor said. Sporting a T-shirt that read "Proud to be an Air Force Dad" and a USAF cap with two flags sticking out the top, Taylor was just one of about 2,000 patriotically dressed folks at the Rally for America. His...

Winning Back Old Europe The campaign in Iraq is going well. The Bush administration should start thinking about a campaign to bring Germany and France back into the fold.by Peter D. Feaver 04/03/2003 1:00:00 PM WASHINGTON PUNDITS are focused on the difficult challenge of winning the hearts and minds of the Arab world. We would be well advised to spend some time thinking about how to win some hearts and minds in Europe. The situation in Britain is not as favorable as one might think if you looked only at the polls. Sure, Prime Minister Blair's approval rating is...

French PM wades into a tide of anti-Americanism By John Lichfield in Paris 03 April 2003 The Prime Minister of France, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, is expected to make a statement today denouncing anti-Americanism and making it clear that France is "on the side of democracy" in the Iraq war. Although the French government remains convinced that the war is unjustified and probably illegal, M. Raffarin has been alarmed by signs of growing anti-American and anti-Semitic feeling at anti-war demonstrations in Paris and other French cities. He has also been disturbed by an opinion poll earlier this week that suggested one in...