UNITED NATIONS -
Bush said, spurning demands of France and Germany in a replay of the acrimonious year-old debate over Iraq that has shaken old alliances.
Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder listened to Bush speak in the vast hall where historic debates have echoed for more than a half century. Ahmad Chalabi, the president of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, took Iraq's seat.
Before Chirac took his turn at the microphone, Bush left the chamber, followed by Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. The French president upbraided the United States for having taken a go-it-alone approach in Iraq after the United Nations failed to sanction the war.
In an open world Chirac said, no one can live in isolation no one can act alone in the name of all
and no one can accept the anarchy of a society without rules. France has said it wants power handed over to the Iraqis in a matter of months -
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the South Dakota Democrat said. He didn't do that. ... It was a missed opportunity and that's very disappointing.
Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., a member of the Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees, said he was encouraged by Bush's private meetings with world leaders, including Chirac yesterday and Schroeder scheduled today. If our alliances were damaged by the Iraq war
let the liberation of Iraq be the reason for repairing and strengthening those alliances
Hagel said.
Bush and Chirac met face to face in the U.S. Mission near the U.N. after their speeches.
Bush said if he was going to keep 140,000 troops in Iraq and spend $20 billion on reconstruction aid, there must be an orderly transfer of power, according to a White House readout of the talks.
Chirac pledged the French wouldn't stand in the way of the U.N. resolution Bush seeks, and he said France would like to help in the process.
Bush was very clear in telling Chirac the premature transfer of sovereignty
which has been the French proposal
is just not in the cards
a senior administration official said.
The administration also brushed aside a call from Chalabi for increased power for the 25-member Iraqi Governing Council, largely handpicked by U.S. authorities. The United States is not prepared to transfer sovereignty to 25 unelected people, the official said.
Chirac told a news conference later that it was impossible to say whether it would take three, six or nine months to transfer sovereignty to the Iraqis. Nevertheless, he said France wants the process to begin immediately.
In his speech, Bush spoke broadly about a need for global help and outlined a limited role for the United Nations in writing an Iraqi constitution, training civil servants and overseeing elections. The United States is trying to come up with a U.N. resolution paving the way for other countries to contribute money and troops for Iraq's reconstruction.
Bush said, Every young democracy needs the help of friends. Now the nation of Iraq needs and deserves our aid
