French President Jacques Chirac today said he still thought the US-led attack on Iraq was illegal and that Washington was able to wage war alone but could not ensure peace without its allies.
Mr Chirac told a final news conference at the Group of Eight summit in Evian, France, that he repeated this yesterday to US President George W. Bush in their first one-on-one meeting since the war ended.
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Mr Chirac's opposition to the Iraq war opened a deep rift between France and the United States as well as within Europe.
The president said France's position was that any militaryaction not supported by the United Nations was illegal.
"We haven't changed our view," he said. "The (UN) Security Council mostly followed us because it did not give a green light to the American action. I didn't approve and I still don't and I said this yesterday to President Bush.
"Now we have to work together to get Iraq back on its feet. It will not be easy. That's why I said you can make a war alone but it is much more difficult to make peace alone".