Today's Date:

Let me begin by telling you how pleased I am with today’s meetings, which I personally wanted to take place in an atmosphere of goodwill, pragmatism, a spirit of openness and dialogue, and with the aim of looking resolutely to the future.

For us, it is absolutely essential to base our action on the principles of respect for the law, moral values, collective responsibility and the international community’s unity. Europe, and particularly the United States, the world’s major poles have a central role to play. Our idea of a multipolar world is marked by complementarity, not rivalry.

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We have, as everyone knows, immediate concerns in Iraq. (...) We’re mobilized for the most urgent task: humanitarian aid.Under the terms of UNSCR 1472, this requires full unimpeded access in Iraq for the non-governmental organizations. France will spare no effort at both national and European levels to ensure distribution of all forms of this aid: food, water, medical care and pharmaceutical products.

What principles must guide us in the search for a settlement of this Iraq crisis? First of all, of course, respect for Iraq's integrity, unity, the fastest possible return to full Iraqi sovereignty over their own country and a central role for the United Nations which embodies international legitimacy.

The UN must exercise this role at the various stages: in the war, by addressing the humanitarian needs on a daily basis, and, when the military operations have ceased, when the situation has been made safe, the United Nations will, of course, have to organize the restoration of a genuine democratic regime and support for the country's economic reconstruction.

How will these different stages be organized, in what timescales, in what sequence? I believe we have to be pragmatic, guided by the concern to make headway. During the armed phase, the phase when the situation is being made safe, the prime responsibility falls naturally to the coalition forces present on the ground. After that, there will be two essential requirements for United Nations action: a secure environment and its ability to exercise its responsibilities in full.

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FRANCE/US

In one which was frank, friendly and – and I said so – future-oriented. We face some major difficulties: Iraq, the region which needs to be stabilized, and all the other problems you know about which also have to be dealt with, terrorism, proliferation, which isn't confined to Iraq, and the regional crises. I talked about the Middle East, as we have always said, this is a problem we must obviously focus efforts on. There's the Iraq crisis and, beyond that, the major question of how to manage the world's crises and difficulties. So I believe a spirit of cooperation between the two shores of the Atlantic is plainly essential for furthering this idea of a more stable and fairer world.

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POST-WAR IRAQ

There are, as I can well understand, a lot of plans, the concern to look to the immediate future. Everyone knows that sometimes things end up being organized differently from the way which was initially intended. The issue has to be tackled, I believe, very pragmatically, regardless of the sequence of events, regardless of the conceivable phases. There's a humanitarian emergency in the war. Immediately after the war, there will be a security phase, when Iraq's unity, the stability of the country and the region will quite obviously be the priority concern. In this sphere, the forces present on the ground will have the prime responsibility. And then when circumstances allow, when the security environment allows, of course, we firmly believe that the United Nations must play a central role. The United Nations is the body, the instrument of international legitimacy for both the political reconstruction and the country's economic reconstruction. We think that the contribution of the United Nations is essential.

CONSENSUS ON UN ROLE

At the various meetings we attended, I believe there was a very broad consensus for really relying on the United Nations which, I repeat, has both the experience and legitimacy and offers everyone the best framework for working in a secure environment.

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FRANCE/US

The United States and France consult each other daily. Clearly, this consultation is bound to develop and be stepped up over the next few days and weeks./.