Bush to hold talks with ‘old Europe’
Jacques Chirac and George Bush are due to hold talks next week it was announced today, when they meet at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, will follow the trilateral talks held between President Chirac, the British prime minister Tony Blair, and Chancellor Schroeder in Berlin this Saturday.
President Bush is also expected to meet with Chancellor Schroeder on Wednesday.
Iraq is likely to be the main topic of discussion at both meetings. The talks should mark a turning point in the relations between the Anglo-American alliance and so-called ‘old Europe’, following the row over the invasion of Iraq.
It has been reported that since the split over the war Presidents Chirac and Bush have seen each other only once – at the G8 summit in Evian back in June.
President Bush will be hoping to gain support for the US drafted resolution on the reconstruction of Iraq. The coalition forces would benefit from international support, but countries such as France are unwilling to send in their troops under US military control.
The French government has also expressed concerns about the length of time it is taking for control of the country to be handed back to Iraqi officials.
