French, US dispute over Iraq continues as G8 ends

["John O'Neill" <johnfergaloneill@xxxxxxxxxx>]

French, US dispute over Iraq continues as G8 ends



  G8 SUMMIT: The Franco-American dispute over the Iraq war emerged intact
from the closing session of the G-8 summit here yesterday, when President
Jacques Chirac said his belief that the US invasion was "illegitimate and
illegal" had not changed "one iota". Lara Marlowe reports from Evian

This was despite a final declaration by the summit leaders released earlier
which expressed unity on Iraq's future.

Mr Chirac and President Bush had made a modest attempt to restore relations
with joint appearances before television cameras at the beginning of the
week.

However Mr Chirac told a news conference after the communiqué was released:
"We had a disagreement . . . about the way to deal with the weapons of mass
destruction of which people supposed that Iraq had quantities.

"We consider that any military action that is not accepted by the
international community, in this case the Security Council, is at the same
time illegitimate and illegal . . . The Security Council, overall, followed
us, since it did not give this green light to the American intervention. For
my part, I did not approve it; I still don't approve it. I told President
Bush that yesterday."

Circumstances however now dictate that France must work with others to
rebuild Iraq.

"It will not be easy," Mr Chirac noted. "You can make a war alone. It's a
lot more difficult to make peace alone. In this context, my feelings have
not changed one iota."

His comments followed publication of a final summit declaration in which the
leading industrialised nations said their aim was a "fully sovereign, stable
and democratic Iraq".

The statement added: "We welcomed the unanimous adoption of United Nations
Security Council resolution 1483 and share the conviction that the time has
now come to build peace and reconstruct Iraq."

The leaders also welcomed a UN announcement about preparatory talks ahead of
an international conference on Iraqi reconstruction.

The final summit declaration expressed determination to support US efforts
for peace in the Middle East and said delegates had discussed the
"desirability" of a comprehensive settlement including Syria and Lebanon.

It also voiced concern over reports of mounting violence against opposition
activists in Zimbabwe and called on the government of Robert Mugabe to
respect the right to peaceful demonstration.

Though the three-day summit of the world's seven most industrialised nations
and Russia made no breakthroughs on its stated priorities of economic growth
and development issues, most of the participants could claim they gained
some advantage.

By inviting an additional dozen heads of state of developing and emerging
countries on the first day, Mr Chirac succeeded in imposing his concept of
"enlarged dialogue" in the G8. He said the US and Britain agreed to continue
the practice when they assume the G8 presidency in 2004 and 2005.

The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, pointed out however that
"enlarged dialogue" did not mean Mr Chirac was achieving his goal of a
"multipolar world".

Mr Chirac also appears to have carved out a role for himself in Middle East
peace negotiations by obtaining Mr Bush's blessing for a French-backed but
nominally European "road-map" for peace between Syria, Lebanon and Israel.

Mr Chirac always said that for any Arab-Israeli peace agreement to last, it
must be "global and comprehensive", that is to say encompass all of Israel's
neighbours, not just Palestine. France ruled Lebanon and Syria under a
League of Nations mandate between the two world wars and continues to have
close relations with those countries.

Though Mr Bush is sure to take exception to Mr Chirac's remarks on Iraq, the
blow was softened by the French leader's repeated praise for Washington's
"spectacular" commitment to contribute $15 billion to the fight against
AIDS. "I pay tribute to the American initiative," Mr Chirac said. "It
incited Europe to follow, to meet the challenge."

Washington paid close attention to discussions on stepping up the fight
against climate change and was relieved that it escaped negative publicity
on that issue, an official US source said.

The US also managed to block Mr Chirac's attempt to ban subsidies on
agricultural exports to Africa and it can be expected to block it again at
the World Trade Organisation meeting in Cancun in September.

The German Chancellor, Mr Gerhard Schröder, arrived in Evian flush with his
victory in obtaining the approval of his own party to ease his country's
employment restrictions.

In a buoyant mood, he told reporters that Mr Chirac's agricultural
initiative for Africa, first proposed in February, made him optimistic for
reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.




© The Irish Times