Paris: French President Jacques Chirac and US counterpart George Bush took a small
step on April 16 towards bridging their deep differences over the war in Iraq,
speaking for the first time in two months.
The 20-minute telephone conversation -- their first contact since February 7 -- came
at Chirac's initiative, with his spokesman Catherine Colonna calling it a "positive"
exchange.
The French President told Bush of "France's willingness to act in a pragmatic way"
on issues relating to the post-war reconstruction of Iraq, Colonna said.
Chirac listed disarmament, the issue of sanctions, the shape of an interim
government for Iraq and the country's oil resources as the key questions on the
table, Colonna said.
The spokeswoman added that Bush had thanked Chirac "for this conversation and for
this approach".
With respect to US threats to Syria, Colonna quoted Chirac as telling Bush he hoped
that nothing would raise tensions in the region.
In the build-up to the US-led war in Iraq, Chirac steadfastly opposed the use of
military force against Baghdad, sparking the ire of US officials and a wave of anti-
French sentiments in the United States.
Paris, Berlin and Moscow formed a united front within the UN Security Council
against US war plans, and Chirac's vow to veto a resolution authorising military
action forced
Washington and London to go it alone in Iraq.
