European reaction: European politicians have reacted to the fall of Baghdad with renewed calls for a central role for the UN in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq The French Foreign Minister, Mr Dominique de Villepin, said that the EU was united in its view that the international community must have a central role in post-war Iraq, writes Denis Staunton, in Brussels
"That needs to come from the United Nations. It is not a question of a vital role or a central role. I think we would all agree that the United Nations will play a key role."
Mr Villepin was speaking in Paris after talks with his British counterpart, Mr Jack Straw, aimed at overcoming the strains which the Iraqi crisis have placed on the relationship between Britain and France.
UN secretary general Mr Kofi Annan abandoned plans to attend the meeting, and will instead meet EU leaders next week during a summit in Athens.
The Polish president, Mr Aleksander Kwasniewski, described yesterday as a "day of liberation" for Iraq similar to the liberation experienced by communist countries in Europe at the end of the Cold War.
"There is no dictator who can prevail against the will of the people for freedom and democracy," he said.
In Brussels, NATO's secretary general, Lord Robertson, said there was no consensus within the alliance over whether it should play a role in post-war Iraq.
"I did not hear any dissent but there is no consensus yet. Clearly if people want NATO, they will ask for NATO, and at that point NATO will consider what the options are."