BRITAIN/FRANCE: Britain and France attempted to display a united front yesterday but differences remained over Iraq's transition to democracy and plans for a European Union defence force.
British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair and French President Mr Jacques Chirac, who fell out over the US-led war on Iraq, said they had agreed an EU defence capability must not undermine the NATO alliance but that the bloc must be able to act autonomously.
"NATO will remain the cornerstone of our defence," Mr Blair said at a joint news conference following a one-day Anglo-French summit in London.
"France doesn't have a problem with NATO," Mr Chirac responded.
But Mr Blair skirted over the question of whether the EU's defence force would have its own headquarters - a bone of contention between the two leaders.
France and Germany want the EU force to have a military HQ independent of NATO, a move London and Washington oppose.
"It is important . . . to make sure that what we have as the practical operation of European defence does not conflict with NATO," Mr Blair said when asked about the force's headquarters. "That's what we are discussing and we will get there."
In a joint communique, the two leaders said the EU should be willing and able to deploy "credible battlegroup-sized forces" of around 1,500 troops in an autonomous operation within 15 days in response to a crisis.
"Neither the Germans nor the French wish to take any kind of initiative which contradicts NATO which . . . is at the heart of our defence system," Mr Chirac said after the summit, which comes just three days after President Bush visited London.
During his stay, Mr Bush pointedly said he "trusted" Mr Blair to do the right thing over European defence.
But Mr Chirac appeared to stand firm. "There are operations which need to be carried out by us and they have to be properly prepared, properly led and properly operated," he said.
France was the most implacable opponent of the war in Iraq and Anglo-French relations hit a low in the build-up to the invasion, when London accused Paris of scuppering a UN resolution authorising military action.
Mr Chirac criticised US proposals for the transfer of power to the Iraqi people, saying the transition would be too slow.
"It seems to be set to take place over too long a period. It seems to be incomplete," he said of the handover plans.
The US timetable calls for indirect elections for a provisional Iraqi assembly by May 31st.