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By Dalal Saoud
BBC NEWS
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Friday May 23, 2003

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Foreign ministers from the world's leading industrialised countries are meeting in France, in the wake of deep divisions over the war in Iraq.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell met his French counterpart, Dominique de Villepin, early on Friday for one-to-one talks in the highest level meeting between the two governments since the fallout over Iraq erupted.

French officials said the meeting, which lasted just 45 minutes, was "friendly and frank". They gave no further details.

The two ministers later joined other Group of Eight (G8) colleagues for meetings to prepare groundwork for a summit attended by heads of state in the French resort of Evian at the end of next week.

They are expected to focus on the rebuilding of Iraq after the US-led war which toppled Saddam Hussein.

It will be US President George W Bush's first visit to France since the war against Iraq, to attend the summit.

Friday's ministerial meeting will also cover the war against terror, the Middle East peace process and the nuclear crisis with North Korea.

Iraq rift

Relations among G8 countries were badly damaged by the Iraq crisis, when Canada, France, Germany and Russia opposed the US drive to attack Iraq - a policy supported by the UK, Italy and Japan.

On Thursday, Colin Powell said disagreements with France in the run-up to the March war could not be forgotten.

"You take note of those who disagree with you and you try to find out why and, if it is appropriate, to draw some conclusions, and consequences follow those conclusions. That's the way it is," he said.

He said the US military was taking steps against France and military ties between the two countries would be reduced.

But Mr Powell also said he welcomed French support for the latest UN resolution governing the future of Iraq passed on Thursday, and that it was time to move ahead on rebuilding Iraq.

Mr de Villepin said America and France "should try to reduce the difficulties" between them.

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Direct Link:
--http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/2931384.stm

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