¡¡LONDON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A set of stamps is to be issued jointly by British and French postal services to mark the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, an agreement that ended centuries of Britain-France hostility, the Royal Mail said on Sunday.

    Featuring artworks by British and French painters, the postage stamps are due to be sold on Tuesday, two days before the 100th anniversary of the landmark pact which was signed in London on April 8, 1904.

    "The Entente Cordiale year is a great opportunity to share our experience, to understand each other better and to make the links between our countries even stronger," Denis MacShane, Britain's Europe minister, was quoted by media as saying.

    The stamp issuing coincides with a three-day state visit to France by Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip, who will join in festivities in honor of the agreement which ended Franco-British colonial rivalry and laid the cornerstone for theiralliance against Germany in World War I.

    French President Jacques Chirac will make a return visit to Britain later in 2004, according to an announcement made during Chirac's visit to Britain last November.

    Relations between the two countries were soured by their bitterdisagreement over the war in Iraq. Enditem