French press for return of UN to Iraq

FRENCH leaders used their traditional Bastille Day interviews yesterday to press for the return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq, saying such a move could help settle doubts over Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass murder.

After watching French and European troops march side-by-side in a show of unity down the Champs-Elysees, President Jacques Chirac criticised the United States and Britain for refusing to allow UN inspectors to complete their job in Iraq before going to war.

“They carried out their work in an extremely positive and capable way,” Chirac said. “They must be given the time to finish.”