US officials also remained vague about a possible role for Paris in rebuilding Iraq.

"From the president's point of view, he would call it a businesslike conversation," said Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer when asked about the 20-minute conversation.

It was the first direct exchange between the presidents since February 7 and the subsequent cooling of relations between Washington and Paris because of France's opposition to a war in Iraq and a UN resolution aimed at authorizing it.

"The president talked about Iraq, and his confidence that conditions in Iraq will be better than they were before the war as a result of our efforts there," Fleischer stressed.

He made it a point to say that the call had been initiated by the French leader, even though the White House usually refrains from saying whether the US president or his interlocutors had made the call.

Chirac told Bush that he wanted to play a "pragmatic role" in the reconstruction of Iraq, Fleischer said.

"Well, it was an interesting choice of words," the White House spokesman continued. "I don't know exactly, literally, what to make of it. I think that's something that France can explain. I think that they may be seeking to find what role they may be able to play."

As for the role the United Nations could have in rebuilding Iraq, Fleischer said he could not recall if it was discussed.

A spokesman for the French president in Paris also refrained from commenting on this issue.

Asked if Tuesday's conversation marked an end to a spat between France and the United States over Iraq, Fleischer displayed utmost caution.

"Well, certainly, listen -- the president has not been shy about saying that we have common values with France that are always going to guide us allies," the spokesman said.

"He's also not shy at saying that we disagree and disagree strenuously on whether force was the appropriate way to handle the issue about how to get Iraq to disarm and to change the regime.

"We have differences," Fleischer continued. "We still have some of those differences. But that won't stop the president from working in a businesslike and professional way with an ally like France."

He confirmed that Bush would attend a meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized nations in the eastern French town of Evian scheduled for early June.

The US president has just cancelled a May trip to Canada, another country which has been opposed to the use of the force against Iraq.

However, the White House stressed that Bush and Chirac had agreed on the need for Syria to refrain from providing refuge to former leaders of the Saddam Hussein regime trying to escape.

"The president thought it was very helpful to hear President Chirac agree that Syria should take no action to harbor any Iraqis who seek to cross the border," Fleischer said.

On the Middle East, the White House spokesman reaffirmed the president's hope that he will soon be able to make public a "road map" detailing a peaceful settlement between Israel and the Palestinians after a new Palestinian government is confirmed.

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