"After a necessary phase of establishing a secure environment, the time for reconstruction will begin, during which wisdom dictates that the United Nations play a central role," Chirac told reporters.

"It is up to the United Nations -- and it alone -- to take on the political, economic, humanitarian and administrative reconstruction of Iraq," the French leader added after talks with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers.

He said only the world body had the "necessary legitimacy" to undertake such a task, noting that the UN could provide a solid framework for postwar Iraq that would ensure the future stability of the country and the region.

Chirac said his point of view was "very widely shared throughout the world" and across Europe in particular.

Earlier Tuesday, US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in a joint statement following their summit in Northern Ireland that the United Nations had a "vital role" to play in the reconstruction of Iraq.

Chirac, who has staunchly opposed the US-British decision to invade Iraq in a bid to oust President Saddam Hussein, said he "totally shared" Bush and Blair's opinion on the UN issue.

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin will meet with his British counterpart Jack Straw early Wednesday in Paris for talks expected to focus on the shape of a postwar administration in Iraq.

Chirac noted that all parties involved should do everything possible "create as quickly as possible conditions that would allow the Iraqis to regain their full sovereignty and take back their destiny."

Lubbers echoed that thought, saying he hoped that the Iraqi people, not Washington or the United Nations, would be able to govern their own country as quickly as possible in the post-Saddam era.

Chirac called for a quick end to the fighting, with as few casualties as possible, but said it was important to prepare for the country's future before the end of the US-British military campaign.

He said he would receive UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in Paris early Thursday, and then travel to Saint Petersburg for talks on Friday and Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

However, uncertainty surrounded Annan's European travel plans Tuesday, as his spokesman refused to say whether the scheduled trip was still on.

Before the outbreak of the US-led war in Iraq on March 20, France, Germany and Russia were the most active members of the UN Security Council in opposing the use of military force against Baghdad.

The foreign ministers of the three countries, meeting in Paris on Friday, called for an early role for the United Nations in running postwar Iraq, voicing concern about a humanitarian emergency there.

Chirac said helping Iraqi civilians was a priority, urging the international community to ensure that much-needed humanitarian aid arrives in the country as soon as possible.

The French president announced that Paris would immediately contribute one million euros (dollars) in extra aid for the UN refugee agency's activities in Iraq.

SPACE.WIRE