France 'opposed to second UN resolution'

As long as weapons inspectors are making progress in Iraq, France opposes a new UN Security Council resolution to pave the way for war, the French foreign minister has said.

Dominique de Villepin last night said France will try to boost inspectors’ effectiveness by proposing a schedule for Iraq to follow through with demands. It will submit the plan as a memorandum to the Security Council, he said.

Inspectors say they are making progress, and “that’s the reason why, in this context, we are opposed to a new resolution, as the President has said,” Mr de Villepin said in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper.

The US is to submit a resolution to the Security Council early in the week, President George W Bush said this weekend.

Asked about the possibility France would veto a resolution, Mr de Villepin said that was “not an issue” as so many countries were pushing for more inspections. Among others, he mentioned Russia and China, two of the five nations with veto power in the council.

France wants to turn up the pressure on Baghdad to force it to disarm quickly, he said in the interview, released ahead of publication by the Foreign Ministry.

If Iraq starts destroying its Al Samoud 2 missile programme by the end of the week – as the UN has ordered – “it will be a positive step”, he said. Iraq has so far withheld a decision.

French President Jacques Chirac has been lobbying for additional support for the inspectors and says war must be a last resort. France has not, however, ruled out using force if the inspections fail.

France’s parliament is meeting on Wednesday for a debate on the disarmament crisis. Though the situation is “changing hour by hour”, there was no vote planned for the time being, Cabinet spokesman Jean-Francois Cope told Europe-1 radio.