The summit was notable for a frosty atmosphere, said commentators

Tensions between the two leaders have dominated the summit, and during their conversation both men acknowledged their differences.

But the prime minister's official spokesman described the atmosphere as "good" and said the two leaders had agreed they needed to work together.

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Mr Chirac also sent a personal note to Mr Blair expressing condolences over the eight British marines killed in a helicopter crash in Kuwait.

The prime minister said the gesture showed that even people who disagreed with the military intervention could "come together in a spirit of sympathy at a time like this".

Frosty atmosphere

Other EU leaders have offered the UK their condolences after the crash during the summit.

Relations between the UK and France deteriorated after the French threatened to veto a UN resolution setting a deadline for Saddam Hussein to disarm.

IRAQ STATEMENT KEY POINTS Full and effective disarmament of Iraq Central role of UN during and after conflict Commitment to sending humanitarian aid Work towards re-invigoration of the Middle East peace process Strengthening of the transatlantic partnership Click here to read full text of statement

President Chirac is reported to have said the action in Iraq violated international law.

And there was a frosty atmosphere at the summit after the very public disagreements.

But Mr Blair said there was a "strong view" that Europe should have a role in the humanitarian situation in Iraq post Saddam Hussein.

There was also a strong desire for the UN to have a central role during and after the crisis.

Mr Blair said "everyone knows what the differences are" between Britain and France and there is "no point in repeating them".

But after paying tribute to the eight Royal Marines who were killed in the helicopter crash, Mr Blair revealed: "France has indeed expressed its condolences to us in respect of those people who tragically lost their lives overnight.

"And indeed, President Chirac wrote me a personal note about it, so I think that is fair and right to say."

Trans-Atlantic alliance

Mr Blair insisted there was "considerable support" in the EU and countries due to join the union for the war against Iraq.

"We were able to agree here that Europe will play a continuing and an important role in helping to rebuild Iraq in the post Saddam era.

"There is a real understanding that the Iraq humanitarian disaster is here and now and that the international community will have to come together to repair Iraq from the ravages of Saddam's rule."

Let's say there were a great many interruptions in a very short time Belgian PM Guy Verhofstadt More on the summit

The prime minister said it was important the European leaders had "restated emphatically the commitment to strengthening the trans-Atlantic alliance".

Mr Blair and President Chirac had earlier spent an hour, with the 13 other EU leaders, wrangling over the wording of a joint declaration on Iraq.

Reporters said the two shared a "cool handshake", with the atmosphere one of minimal courtesy rather than reconciliation.

BBC political editor Andrew Marr said diplomats had told him they could not remember an EU summit which had such a sour atmosphere.

At the summit, France, Germany and Belgium criticised the US-led war, but Britain and five other nations - Spain, Italy, Portugal, Denmark and the Netherlands - supported it.

War over words

The UK agreed a French move to drop a paragraph from the new EU declaration expressing regret that Iraq had not used UN resolution 1441's opportunity to disarm, "and that a peaceful resolution of the Iraqi crisis was not achieved".

But Mr Blair refused when Mr Chirac tried to remove a paragraph reaffirming that the EU's objective remained Iraq's "full and effective" disarmament.

Backed by Spain and Austria, Mr Blair insisted the words stay in - although they were moved further down the text.

It called on the EU "to explore means by which the EU might help the Iraqi people to achieve the objectives of living in freedom, dignity and prosperity under a representative government".

But France would not discuss the post-war reconstruction of Iraq in case that implied support for the war.