The Hindu : France, Germany say they are against war on Iraq

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 23, 2003

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France, Germany say they are against war on Iraq

By Vaiju Naravane

Paris Jan. 22. In a tough message to Washington, the French President, Jacques Chirac, and the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, have said they were both opposed to a conflict in Iraq.

"Germany and France share the same opinion on the Iraq crisis. Everything must be done to avoid war," Mr. Chirac said at a joint press conference at the palace of Versailles near Paris on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty cementing Franco-German friendship.

The comments come a day after the French Foreign Minister, Dominique de Villepin, issued a barely veiled warning that France would be prepared to use its veto in the United Nations Security Council if the United States insisted on going to war at this juncture.

Mr. Chirac said the common position of France and Germany, two most powerful nations within the European Union, was based on two key issues: Going to war was an admission that diplomacy had failed. "Everything must be done to avoid war," the two leaders said.

Secondly, any decision to wage a war on Iraq must emanate from the Security Council and it alone. "The Security Council must express its decision after hearing the report of the U.N. inspectors."

The U.S. said on Tuesday that it was running out of patience and that Iraq was running out of time. European leaders have said the U.N. inspectors, who have repeatedly asked for more time to complete their inspections, should be given an extended mandate after January 27, when the weapons inspectors are to submit their report.

France is aware that several other countries in the Security Council are averse to war against Iraq. For the moment, France can count only on four other countries to counter the U.S. attempts to hustle the Council members towards hostilities against Iraq. These include Russia, Syria, China and Germany. France would like to prevent the U.S. from obtaining a qualified majority of nine in the Council debate. The U.S. is sure of support from Britain, Bulgaria, Spain, Cameroon and Guinea.

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