Germany, France and Britain back a major U.N. role in Iraq

BERLIN — Germany, France and Britain sought to project a new European consensus Saturday before next week's U.N. General Assembly meeting on Iraq's future, agreeing broadly on a significant role for the United Nations and a transfer of power to Iraqis. But they were still divided on how quickly that should happen.

There was no sign of movement from French President Jacques Chirac, who insisted again that power should be transferred to the Iraqis within months, despite U.S. insistence, shared by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, that it's too early to establish a timetable.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder sought to act as intermediary at the hastily called summit, the first to bring together the leaders of anti-war France and Germany with Blair, the United States' closest ally, since Europe split over the Iraq war.

Still smarting over the Iraq war's damage to European attempts at formulating a common foreign policy, the leaders emphasized their willingness to negotiate a U.S. draft proposal seeking to include countries that did not participate in the war in postwar security and reconstruction.

But they deferred details to their diplomats at the U.N. meeting in New York, which begins Tuesday with a speech from President Bush.

Bush has said the draft proposal would not be ready in time for his speech but that he still plans to make the case for more international support in Iraq.

"We'll remind our European friends that we're making good progress there," Bush said.

Blair said it was important to recognize that everyone wants to see stability and democracy in Iraq.

"The very fact there is this discussion in the United Nation underlines the agreement on the key role the United Nations should have," he said.

"For myself I'm sure that whatever the differences that there are, they can be resolved, and I'm sure that they will be," Blair said.

Chirac sought to downplay the importance of the differences.

"This transfer of sovereignty should take place as rapidly as possible, in a matter of months, and basically we don't have a difference of opinion," the French president said. "But as far as the means and the timetable, we don't yet have an agreement."

All three leaders agreed that a U.N. resolution should contain a road map laying out steps to bring democracy to Iraq that would be overseen by the United Nations, a senior German diplomat said.