Chirac and Blair put behind their differences over Iraq

French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/2003/03/20/44710.html ' target=_blank>Tony Blair agreed to put their differences over the Iraq war behind them to work with the United States on finding a solution for Middle East strife. They called for "a stable and democratic Iraq" as well as urgent efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Despite the display of unity at their summit in London, &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/main/2002/02/12/26365.html ' target=_blank>Chirac later implicitly rebuked the United States and Britain for invading Iraq when he said a collective approach to resolving international problems had to be revived.

The French leader also said he doubted the world had become a safer place since the invasion of Iraq.

However, immediately after their summit talks, Blair, an unwavering supporter of the US-led invasion in March 2003 that overthrew Saddam Hussein, said past disputes over Iraq were behind them, wrote Turkish Press.

According to the Xinhua News, Jacques Chirac said that only by recognizing a multipolar world could a sounder and fairer international order be built.

"It is by recognizing the new reality of a multipolar and interdependent world that we will succeed in building a sounder and fairer international order," Chirac said in a speech in central London.

"This is why we must work together to revive multilateralism, amultilateralism based on a reformed and strengthened &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/society/2002/07/07/31948.html ' target=_blank>United Nations," Chirac added.

The French president called for enlarging both the permanent and non-permanent members of the UN Security Council to represent "new balances" in the world.

Earlier, speaking to British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, Mr Chirac said the war on Iraq had not made the world more secure.