US President George W Bush is basking in UN approval for the new Iraq, delivered as he opened the G8 summit.
Unanimous Security Council passage of a resolution endorsing Iraq's interim government and establishing a multinational force for the country gave Mr Bush a boost as he met world leaders.
"The vote today ... was a great victory for the Iraqi people," Mr Bush told reporters last night as he sat next to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a wood-beamed meeting house on Sea Island, a resort cordoned off by security forces for the summit. "It showed we stand side-by-side with the Iraqi people."
Mr Putin praised the resolution's passage but tempered his enthusiasm by noting it would have little immediate impact on the ground, where violence continues unabated. "Surely it will take quite a long time before the adoption of the document will have any impact on the real change on the ground in Iraq," he said.
Mr Bush - hosting Mr Putin along with the leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada - heard measured praise for the resolution from German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who was among those who opposed going to war in Iraq in the first place.
"We think that this resolution will be a good basis, a good foundation for enhancing stability and for also improving the chances for the Iraqi people," Mr Schroeder said.
The UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, described the resolution as "equitable and fair".
The French, who strongly opposed the war in Iraq, reacted cautiously to the resolution. A spokeswoman for President Jacques Chirac, told a news conference at the summit: "The resolution that has been voted for unanimously today is a step. Is it a triumph? It is not for me to judge, I would recommend a certain prudence."
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said it was time to bury the divisions of the past. "Let us unite now in a different vision for a modern Iraq capable of being that force for good for Iraqis and also for the wider region and the world," he said.
European Union President Romano Prodi said he hoped the resolution would lead to a more cooperative spirit between Europe and the United States. "The success of the resolution will be judged on that," he said.
The resolution's approval was a fitting complement, in the US view, for a scheduled visit to the summit today by Iraq's new president Mr Ghazi al-Yawar. He is due to have talks with Mr Bush.
The 15-member Security Council voted unanimously yesterday for a US-British resolution that formally ends the occupation of Iraq on June 30th and authorises a US-led force to keep the peace. The UN resolution had been held up by objections over how much control the Iraqis would have over foreign troops but last-minute changes on military policy met demands by France and Germany.