On British Visit, Chirac Accents the Positive

French President Jacques Chirac toned down his criticism of Britain’s role in the Iraq war as he arrived Thursday on a two-day visit celebrating the Entente Cordiale, an Anglo-French friendship treaty that has endured 100 years.

However, the French leader refused to back away from his analysis that the Iraq war, ardently supported by British Prime Minister Tony Blair but opposed in much of Europe, has increased terrorist activity and has made the world less safe.

Chirac’s visit takes on added significance as Europe decides how to deal with the United States after President Bush’s reelection and his promise to continue his tough foreign policy.

Blair has argued that the transatlantic alliance should be strengthened for the sake of the world, with Britain helping to form a vital link. Chirac believes that a multipolar world, with Europe and the U.S. as main power centers, is “inevitable.”

After a meeting Thursday, Blair and Chirac put a positive spin on their relations. Chirac seemed to endorse Blair’s offer to serve as a bridge between the U.S. and Europe through his close alliance with Bush.

Speaking at a news conference with Blair, Chirac downplayed any friction between their two countries stemming from the war in Iraq. He said he was “taken aback” by some comments in the French media suggesting otherwise.

Britain and France are together on a host of issues, Chirac said, though the war is the “one and only” issue of sharp disagreement between the countries. “Who is right or wrong, history will tell,” he said.

Earlier this week, Chirac criticized Britain for entering the Iraq war without winning any payback from the U.S., such as an agreement by Bush to revive Middle East peace talks.

“I am not sure that it is in the nature of our American friends at the moment to return favors systematically,” Chirac said.

In a BBC interview Wednesday, he said that any intervention in Iraq should have been carried out through the United Nations and not by the U.S., Britain and other willing countries. Further, he said, the war had “provoked reactions ... which has made the world more dangerous.”

“There’s no doubt that there has been an increase in terrorism, and one of the origins of that has been the situation in Iraq. I’m not at all sure that one can say that the world is safer,” Chirac charged.

Asked about those comments Thursday, Chirac repeated his view: “If you observe the way things are developing in the world in terms of security and the expansion of terrorism -- not just in the Middle East but throughout the world -- if you look at all that, you cannot say, and be credible, that the situation has significantly improved.”

On Blair’s idea that Britain could serve as a transatlantic bridge, Chirac appeared happy with that role.

“It’s evident that for historical, cultural and linguistic reasons that the relationships between the U.K. and U.S. are a sort of family link,” he said. “It’s normal. It’s history. It’s a given fact. Consequently, Britain as a friendly partner of the United States is an advantage for Europe.

“But as we said during our working lunch,” Chirac added, “I would like to say that the U.S. and Europe have a natural vocation working together in the world of tomorrow.”

The Entente Cordiale was signed April 8, 1904, ending centuries of Anglo-French wars and competition from the time of William the Conqueror, through Joan of Arc down to Napoleon and beyond. That ancient rivalry has evolved into an alliance.

Chirac is scheduled to be Queen Elizabeth II’s guest at a state banquet in Windsor Castle followed by a gala performance of “Les Miserables.”

The Times of London noted that the hall in which the show will play is the Waterloo Chamber, but to spare Chirac any discomfort due to the reminder of Napoleon’s defeat by the Duke of Wellington in 1815, the room will be renamed for just one day as the “Music Room.”

*

Janet Stobart of The Times’ London Bureau contributed to this report.