Chirac ending visit to Britain
 |  The queen treated President and Madame Chirac to a magnificent banquet at Windsor Castle. |
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 Tension between Jacques Chirac and Tony Blair.
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- French President Jacques Chirac was ending a fence-mending but at times edgy state visit to Britain Friday with a question-and-answer session with students at Oxford University.
On Thursday, setting aside their differences over Iraq, Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair told a joint news conference they both wanted a peaceful and stable future for the country.
"We should look forward not back -- to a unified, democratic and peaceful Iraq," Chirac declared. "There is no disagreement here."
CNN's European Editor Robin Oakley called it "glassy smiles and gloss over time." Oakley said that Chirac and Blair were careful not to inflame their differences over Iraq -- and both made plain their eagerness to do anything they can to revive the Middle East peace process.
But later the French president took on a harsher tone, warning Blair that his drive to spread democracy across the world alongside U.S. President George Bush could be confused with a new colonialism.
In a speech to the International Institute of Strategic Studies, the UK's Press Association reported, Chirac went on to set out his own distinctive view of international relations -- drawing clear distinctions between his view and that of the U.S. President and Blair, enunciated after their White House talks last week.
Chirac stressed the importance of dialogue between Europe and "the world's major poles" -- China, India, Brazil, Russia and various trading blocs.
After Bush and Blair espoused the spread of western democratic values as the best safeguard against terrorism, the UK's Press Association quoted Chirac as saying: "We must avoid any confusion between democratization and westernization.
"For although our memory is sometimes short, the peoples submitted to the West's domination in the past have not forgotten and are quick to see a resurgence of imperialism and colonialism in our actions."
Friday morning Chirac laid a wreath at the tomb at Windsor Castle of King Edward VII, the British monarch in power when the Anglo-French "Entente Cordiale" was signed 100 years ago.
The wreath of flowers, depicting the red, white and blue of the French flag, marked the centenary of the agreement, signed on April 8, 1904.
The French leader and Madame Chirac stayed overnight at Windsor Castle where the hospitality was lavish.
There was a late-night performance of "Les Miserables" followed a black-tie dinner hosted by the queen.
Guests included Blair and leading figures in Anglo-French relations, arts and fashion. Among the 136 dining in the historic St. George's Hall were Arsenal Football Club manager Arsene Wenger and his wife, designer Nicole Farhi.
Singing star Michael Ball returned for the performance of "Les Miserables" which was staged in the castle's Waterloo Chamber -- recalling Britain's most famous victory over the French -- diplomatically renamed the "music room" for the night.
Queen Elizabeth II had intended to greet Chirac, but his motorcade was delayed and he arrived 20 minutes late.
During dinner, the queen -- dressed in a bright cream-colored dress -- proposed the toast: "To the people of France. Vive l'Entente Cordiale."
In a brief speech, she said the century-old alliance was "above all about the people of our two countries getting on with each other and working with a common purpose."
Chirac then rose to say in a five-minute speech in French that he was "deeply moved" by the queen's invitation.
