Europe's powers seek to end Iraq deadlock

The summit between German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair could prove pivotal for the Gulf region and the results in Berlin will affect the European Union.

It could also have repercussions for Schroeder, who wants desperately to improve Germany's relations with the United States, and any breakthrough would give Blair a personal boost after the pressures of the Hutton inquiry.

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At issue is whether a compromise can be reached on a viable UN resolution that would put a multinational force into Iraq and share the heavy financial burden of rebuilding the country, five months after a US-led coalition toppled Saddam Hussein's regime.

The United States, which went to war with Britain without the approval of the United Nations, refuses to share any control of Iraq.

It has accepted demands, notably from war opponents France and Germany, to bring the UN back to prominence, but a stalemate has arisen over the timetable for restoring sovereignty to the Iraqi people.

The gulf was obvious after the failure of last weekend's talks in Geneva between foreign ministers of the UN Security Council's five permanent members.

But since then, signals have emerged of a possible breakthrough.

At a press conference here Thursday, Chirac called for "the rapid transfer, under the control of the UN, of the responsibilities of government to the current governmental bodies in Iraq."

While it appeared to be a new demand for a tight time frame, he backed away from previous French demands for the handover of sovereignty within one month.

"And when I say as rapidly as possible, it is for us a question of months and not years naturally."

In a further concession, Chirac said France would also be willing to help train new Iraqi police officers and military personnel if Germany went ahead with its offer to do so.

"It goes without saying that if the chancellor confirms that position, France will also do so for the same reasons," he said.

Across the Atlantic, US President George W. Bush remained pessimistic about a breakthrough being made before he attends the UN General Assembly next week.

"The question was: 'Will we have a UN resolution by the time I get to New York?' No, I don't think so," he told reporters at Camp David on Thursday.

For Schroeder it is vital to go to New York with a peace offering.

The chancellor and Bush are due to meet on the sidelines of the assembly in their first face-to-face talks in about 15 months, potentially making Saturday's summit the start of a new era in ties between Washington and Berlin.

According to press reports, the foreign ministry in Berlin thinks the timing for the tripartite summit with Blair, the first of its kind in two years, is perfect.

"The British are seeking more contact with continental Europe again" because London feels it is not being treated as an equal partner by the Bush administration, one official told Friday's Die Welt newspaper.