The three foreign ministers have been vocal opponents of war

"The first urgency is humanitarian," said French foreign minister Dominique de Villepin, after hosting a meeting of the countries' foreign ministers in Paris.

"Every perspective on the future of Iraq must take into account the state of Iraq after the war."

All three ministers insisted that the United Nations should play a central role in rebuilding the country.

We consider that the only organisation to play a central role is the United Nations Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov

However, Mr De Villepin accepted that US-led coalition forces were best placed to establish security in Iraq once the fighting was over.

Their meeting came a day after US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in Brussels that the coalition would play a "leading role" in post-war Iraq, but would work with the UN as a partner.

International legitimacy

Nato Secretary General George Robertson and Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, both said they believed a transatlantic consensus was emerging on the future of Iraq.

Correspondents noted, however, that the role envisaged for the UN by Mr Powell appeared to be less significant than that demanded by European governments, including the UK.

Nobody can hope to build peace alone French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said on Friday that the three ministers believed that the UN was the only organisation that could play a "central role".

Mr De Villepin added that the principle of "international legitimacy" was crucial - implying that only UN involvement could confer this legitimacy.

"Nobody can hope to build peace alone," he said.

The three foreign ministers were the loudest opponents of the war in Iraq before it started.

But their governments have in recent days begun to strike some conciliatory notes.

"I think it is absolutely natural... that in the security phase, the forces present on the ground have a specific responsibility," Mr de Villepin said.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin have said they want to see a swift victory for coalition forces, while French President Jacques Chirac has stressed that the US is France's ally and friend.

'Time for reconciliation'

The French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin nonetheless delivered a blunt rebuke to the US on Thursday, saying Washington had been wrong to launch an attack on Iraq as long as an alternative to war existed.

Mr de Villepin was expected to hold talks with Pope John Paul II and Foreign Minister Franco Frattini of the pro-war Italian Government later on Friday.

Mr Powell refused on Thursday to spell out precisely what role the UN might play in Iraq.

However, in an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro published on Friday, Mr Powell said the UN would play an important role supervising humanitarian aid and installing the interim civilian authority.

He also sought to mend ties, saying it was time for a reconciliation between the US and European countries opposed to the war.