Bush, Chirac set aside differences to address G-8 agenda.(The Dallas Morning News)

Byline: David Jackson

EVIAN, France _ Yes, President Bush and French President Jacques Chirac shook hands Sunday as the G-8 summit opened.

They even smiled.

And while neither planned to give ground on their positions over the war in Iraq, both agreed to set aside differences to pursue a Group of Eight agenda that includes providing more help for developing countries and battling AIDS/HIV in Africa.

The G-8, consisting of eight leading industrial nations, is also interested in helping rebuild war-torn Iraq, even those nations that still question the wisdom of the war led by Bush.

"I don't have the least discomfort with this man," Chirac told reporters after greeting the American president in this French Alps village best known for bottled water.

Bush has scoffed at the notion that the G-8 meeting would turn confrontational, despite the fact that half the members opposed the war.