Emerging from their talks in London on 18 November, visiting French President Jacques Chirac and his host, Prime Minister Tony Blair, indicated that both of them had gone the extra mile to join forces in confronting a range of international issues. According to Chirac, Iraq was "the one and only issue" over which they disagreed.
In Chirac's opinion, "what matters really is all that we have in common in the present and for the future". Displaying the conciliatory approach that both leaders shared, Chirac said that Africa and climate change were "two of the most important questions we need to address for the future of the world".
Nevertheless, Chirac reiterated his opinion that the war in Iraq had resulted in an "expansion" of global terrorism, and he also gave voice to his reservations regarding the US-British alliance. He said that "while it is still possible to organise the world based on a logic of power, [history] has taught us that this type of organisation is, by its very definition, unstable and sooner or later leads to crisis or conflict". Regarding Iraq, he said history would tell who was right or wrong.
Chirac also reiterated his belief that the EU was an international player in a "multi-polar" and interdependent world.
Blair also struck a conciliatory note when he declared that "the differences [between the UK and France] at the time of the conflict were well known but […] both of us want to see a stable and democratic Iraq and will do what we can to ensure that happens".
Diplomats said that the two leaders' performance appeared to show genuine commitment to healing the rift and that the pair had rarely seemed so at ease.
