WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- The US and French governments are working on plans for French President Jacques Chirac to visit Washington and meet with his US counterpart George W. Bush, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said at a news briefing on Thursday.

    "We are working with the French government on a time for President Chirac to come to Washington and meet with the president.The president made it very clear at the outset of the post-election period that he was going to be doing more to reach out to our European friends and allies so that we can work together to solve common problems that we face," McClellan said.

    "The president also looks forward to seeing him in Brussels, aswell. And we will be talking about the common challenges that we face and how we can work together. There are many areas where we already work together," he said.

    Chirac has been a strong opponent of the Iraq war launched by the United States in 2003 and relations between France and the United States have since deteriorated.

    Nonetheless, both Chirac and Bush have voiced desires to improve relations and Bush is due to visit Europe next month and will meet several European leaders, including Chirac.

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