The Hindu : International : Bush, Chirac bury the hatchet

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Wednesday, Feb 23, 2005

International

International

Bush, Chirac bury the hatchet

By Vaiju Naravane

PARIS, FEB. 22. The United States President, George W. Bush, who is on a five-day trip to Europe and his French counterpart, Jacques Chirac, decided to kiss and make up in a highly publicised reconciliation meeting on Monday.

Mr Bush, in Brussels for a meeting with E.U. leaders and a NATO summit, played host to Mr. Chirac over dinner at the residence of the U.S. ambassador. Relations between the two men have been extremely strained in the past, especially since France's vociferous opposition to the war on Iraq.

The mood was of bonhomie. Asked whether he would now consider inviting Mr. Chirac to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, reserved for "close friends", Mr. Bush laughingly avoided the question saying: "I need a good cowboy!" Journalists remarked, however, that he refrained from actually extending an invitation. A more sober Mr. Chirac preferred to lay the emphasis on "centuries-old shared values".

Lebanon issue

The situation in Lebanon was one of the principal subjects of discussion between the two leaders who called for "an immediate withdrawal" of Syrian troops from that country. In a joint communiqué, the two called for the holding of free and fair elections in Lebanon by next spring. They also called for an international enquiry into the killing of the former Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafiq Hariri, in a bomb blast two weeks ago.

Officially, France and the U.S. agree on the steps to be taken in Lebanon. Washington has imposed sanctions against Damascus which Paris has not publicly opposed. Privately, however, French diplomats doubt the efficacy of economic sanctions, which they feel inflict privations upon the local people while reinforcing the ruling elite's grip on power.

NATO on board

In a sign that Mr. Bush's charm offensive is bearing fruit, NATO announced on Tuesday that all 26 allies, including former hold-outs France, were on board to aid a NATO training mission in Iraq.

The European Union agreed to train up to 770 Iraqi judges, police and prison officials in a goodwill gesture to the U.S., and France, which had opposed the mission, signalled on Tuesday that it would help, releasing 2 million euros for the training programme this year.

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