Allies Kiss And Make Up

CBS News State Department Reporter Charles Wolfson examines the thaw in the relationship between the U.S. and three key allies who opposed the American invasion of Iraq.

After months of acrimony among allies, everyone joined together this week to support a resolution which essentially gives the U.S. and the British the right to run Iraq until elections can be held there and an independent, freely elected Iraqi government can take over.

The resolution also gives the U.N. what is called a "vital" role and it phases out the U.N.'s oil for food program over six months. The bottom line, however, is clear: Washington got what it wanted, including control over Iraq's oil revenues.

After first working through the U.N. process, then going around it when the Security Council wouldn't go along with a vote to formally give the OK to take military action against Saddam Hussein's regime, the U.S. came back to the U.N. and managed to get pretty much everyone back onto the same team.

In essence, America's military victory steamrolled not only Saddam Hussein's regime but also the diplomatic opposition to the military campaign. After finding themselves on the wrong side of victory, leaders in France, Germany and Russia saw the light and rejoined the U.S.-British led effort to lift sanctions and move forward in Iraq.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, after diplomatic stops in Moscow and Berlin last week, got the word the Russians and the Germans would not oppose the resolution. The French, the ally who has proved most troublesome for Washington to win over, saw the handwriting on the wall and dropped its remaining concerns the day before Powell turned up in Paris. No more embarrassing moments.

Everyone now agrees publicly on what needs to be done and on who will be in charge. The timing is convenient because the final adjustments were made not only before Powell's arrival in Paris, but more importantly, before President Bush goes to Evian, France for the upcoming G-8 summit meeting.

However, a bitter taste remains among senior Bush administration officials over the way French President Jacques Chirac and his foreign minister, Dominque de Villepin, handled their opposition to Washington's plans to oust Saddam Hussein. So all has not been forgotten and certainly not forgiven.

The Paris air show this summer likely will see fewer members of Congress in attendance and some American aerospace companies may decide to not attend. The Pentagon is said to be reviewing some of its bilateral arrangements with France.

Powell was asked in Paris about the Bush administration punishing France for its opposition to Washington's policy. The secretary's response was diplomatic, but it clearly reveals Washington's displeasure. "…you know, I have to remind people, when you say to the United States, 'Is this a new form of foreign policy that we are going to start punishing people who disagree with us?' No, but you take note of those who disagree with you and you try to find out why and if it is appropriate to draw some conclusions and consequences follow those conclusions: that's the way it is."

Powell also emphasized the positive in Paris and said it's time to move forward. "But does it mean that the disagreements of the past simply are totally forgotten? No, that was not a very pleasant time for any of us and we have to work our way through that."

Officials in all capitals realize it's time to put recent differences behind them and at least publicly show a united front in support of the people of Iraq who are, after all, the intended beneficiaries of the most recent U.N. resolution.

The real test of how long Paris will stay in Washington's political dog house will come in early June when Mr. Bush attends the G-8 summit in Evian, hosted by France's Jacques Chirac.

By Charles Wolfson