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France on Thursday hailed the fall of Saddam Hussein, but President Jacques Chirac added that full sovereignty must be returned to Iraq as soon as possible and "with the legitimacy of the United Nations."

"It is now necessary to create the conditions which will give the Iraqi people its dignity in newfound freedom," a statement from the French president's office said.

The most urgent matter at hand is to secure the country so humanitarian aid can get through, it added.

France, which led the effort to avoid war by the U.S.-led coalition, has said it considers the American and British troops on the ground to be the best way to secure Iraq. However, it wants a central role for the United Nations in the process of reconstruction.

"As soon as possible, after the necessary phase of securing (the country), Iraq must return to its full sovereignty in a stabilized region with the legitimacy of the United Nations," the president's office said.

President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair agreed over the weekend that the United Nations should have a "vital role" in rebuilding Iraq. However, no one has clearly defined what that means.

"We are at a decisive moment in the history of Iraq," French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said, adding that with the fall of Saddam "a somber page is turning."

"Together, we must build peace in Iraq, and for France that means a central role for the United Nations," the minister's statement said.

He added that peace in the Middle East region must also be pursued, "through a determined search to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

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