Meeting of the MINDS:Chirac, Schroeder, Annan to visit Russia

CLICK!

This isn't new news. It's been planned for a couple of weeks. Some commentators are looking it as the opposition's version of the Azores summit.
What they will be discussing is how they can make capital out of the Iraq situation.

As for Kofi Annan. He was due to visit the Kremlin anyway. It has nothing to do with the meeting between the 3 countries.

No leveller, what they will be discussing is what position to take on the reconstruction of Iraq... should they try to force more UN involvement in return for UN funds or should they just back down and give UN money to the reconstruction and let relations normalise between Ru/Fr/Ge and UK/US...

Annan has declined his invitation.

Um. Discussing the involvement of the UN in reconstruction work IS discussing what capital gain they can make from it.

Nope, because the UN will end up paying American companies to rebuild Iraq. So should they demand that the UN is involved properly (and presumably end up in another face off with the US/UK), or should they just back down and normalise relations?

I guess you can condense it to the financial gains for these countries, but I think that's a very simplistic representation of what they'll be discussing.

The UN would be discussing US contracts. But it would also discuss contracts for these countries too. Don't forget that they are also part of the UN apparatus and that if they can get the UN involved they will make a financial gain. Also don't forget that these countries have lost huge amounts of money. France has lost arms deals and oil deals. Russia is owed billions and on top of that, if Iraq oil starts flowing, Russian oil is going to be harder to sell.
If they're not interested in the money why else would they want UN involvement? The UN has already proved it's inadequacies in dealing with the rebuilding of countries - just take a look at Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo and countless others. The US on the other hand, has had some success in Afghanistan.
They don't give a flying about the Iraqi people. They already proved that by opposing this war.
Money makes the world go round dude. These guys want a peice of the pie.

Oooo, you're even more cynical than me.

The US will want the UN to open up Iraqi money from the oil-for-food program to pay for rebuilding Iraq. The US have already said that they'll choose who the contracts go to.

The Fr/Ge/Ru alliance will want any use of UN funds to involve getting the UN to set up the new government. And as you say, to involve the rebuilding money going to multiple countries.

Plus, no-one really wants to see the US running off and being a maverick state. There is a chance here that UN money can be used as a bargaining chip to get the UN involved properly in the process. It's very dangerous to everyone for the US to be running off and doing it's own thing, it could be incredibly destabilising if these preventative attacks continue...

Where there is UN involvement, as long as contracts and monies don't go to certain states, who tried to actively prevent the action the US took....

The same countries that took the risks and helped with Iraq should help with the rebuilding and government shaping. Rumsfeld made it clear that the government will be the choosing of the Iraqi people, though. I'm sure they'll get around to it as soon as they get through "liberating" government furniture!