Post by Taxigirl on Nov 18, 2004 10:01:21 GMT
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4021155.stm
French president Jacques Chirac has arrived for talks with UK prime minister Tony Blair in Downing Street.
The two-day visit comes after a period of strained relations between the two nations over a range of issues including the Iraq war.
It also marks the climax of centenary celebrations of the Entente Cordiale between the two nations.
Mr Chirac arrived 20 minutes late for his formal welcome from Mr Blair and Prince Philip.
On Wednesday the French president said he was "not at all sure" the world was safer with the ousting of Saddam.
Iraq views
President Chirac was welcomed with a Guard of Honour at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the English capital before joining the prime minister for talks.
Downing Street has acknowledged differences between the UK and France over Iraq but insisted the two leaders were still working together.
The prime minister's official spokesman said their discussions were likely to include topics such as the European Union, Britain's upcoming presidency of the G8, climate change and co-operation in Africa and Afghanistan.
The spokesman acknowledged the leaders would probably discuss Iraq. Later on Thursday the two will hold a press conference at Lancaster House inside St James' Palace.
In a BBC interview on Wednesday, Mr Chirac suggested the situation in Iraq had helped to prompt an increase in terrorism.
He also maintained that any intervention in Iraq should have been through the United Nations.
"To a certain extent, Saddam Hussein's departure was a positive thing," Mr Chirac said when asked if the world was safer now, as US President George W Bush has repeatedly stated.
"But it also provoked reactions, such as the mobilisation in a number of countries, of men and women of Islam, which has made the world more dangerous," he added.
"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."
When asked if his position on troops in Iraq remained the same, he said: "The way things are now I can't imagine that there will be French troops in Iraq."
Relationship history
After the talks Mr Chirac is expected to attend a gala performance of Les Miserables at Windsor as a guest of the Queen.
The Entente Cordiale was set up in 1904 to improve diplomatic relations between the two countries.
France and Britain had been fighting intermittently for hundreds of years.
They were also in competition for colonies in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, with long-standing disputes in Morocco, Egypt, Siam, Madagascar, the New Hebrides, west and central Africa and Newfoundland.
French president Jacques Chirac has arrived for talks with UK prime minister Tony Blair in Downing Street.
The two-day visit comes after a period of strained relations between the two nations over a range of issues including the Iraq war.
It also marks the climax of centenary celebrations of the Entente Cordiale between the two nations.
Mr Chirac arrived 20 minutes late for his formal welcome from Mr Blair and Prince Philip.
On Wednesday the French president said he was "not at all sure" the world was safer with the ousting of Saddam.
Iraq views
President Chirac was welcomed with a Guard of Honour at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the English capital before joining the prime minister for talks.
Downing Street has acknowledged differences between the UK and France over Iraq but insisted the two leaders were still working together.
The prime minister's official spokesman said their discussions were likely to include topics such as the European Union, Britain's upcoming presidency of the G8, climate change and co-operation in Africa and Afghanistan.
The spokesman acknowledged the leaders would probably discuss Iraq. Later on Thursday the two will hold a press conference at Lancaster House inside St James' Palace.
In a BBC interview on Wednesday, Mr Chirac suggested the situation in Iraq had helped to prompt an increase in terrorism.
He also maintained that any intervention in Iraq should have been through the United Nations.
"To a certain extent, Saddam Hussein's departure was a positive thing," Mr Chirac said when asked if the world was safer now, as US President George W Bush has repeatedly stated.
"But it also provoked reactions, such as the mobilisation in a number of countries, of men and women of Islam, which has made the world more dangerous," he added.
"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."
When asked if his position on troops in Iraq remained the same, he said: "The way things are now I can't imagine that there will be French troops in Iraq."
Relationship history
After the talks Mr Chirac is expected to attend a gala performance of Les Miserables at Windsor as a guest of the Queen.
The Entente Cordiale was set up in 1904 to improve diplomatic relations between the two countries.
France and Britain had been fighting intermittently for hundreds of years.
They were also in competition for colonies in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, with long-standing disputes in Morocco, Egypt, Siam, Madagascar, the New Hebrides, west and central Africa and Newfoundland.