Toughen inspections, says France
Wednesday, February 5, 2003
cnn.com
UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- France reacted to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's presentation of evidence of Iraqi deception to the U.N. by calling for tougher weapons inspections and saying force must be the last resort.
Two of the three other permanent, veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council also called for more time for the inspectors with Britain closest to the U.S. position saying that Iraq was in "material breach" of U.N. resolution 1441.
France
• French Foreign Minister Dominque de Villepin said his country would not rule out the use of force as a last resort -- but the U.N. must be at the centre of whatever action is taken.
He said the U.N. meeting had underlined that Saddam must be tackled by unity among the member nations.
"Given the choice between military intervention and an inspections regime that is inadequate because of a failure to co-operate on Iraq's part, we must choose the decisive reinforcement of the means of inspections," de Villepin said.
Villepin added that U.N. inspections were working well on the ground and should be strengthened -- their numbers possibly doubled or trebled. France would provide resources including Mirage jets, he said.
"Let us double, let us triple the number of inspectors. Let us open more regional offices. Let us go further than this," de Villepin said. "Could we not for example set up a specialized body to keep under surveillance the sites and areas that have already been inspected?"
He said efforts should now be turned to investigating possible stocks of chemical and biological weapons including anthrax and botulism.
CNN's European Political Editor Robin Oakley said France would be impressed by the mass of detail in the Powell speech -- and this from a country which until recently had been threatening to use its veto in the U.N. Security Council.
France has now sent aircraft carrier General Charles de Gaulle to the Mediterranean and French analysts were now saying President Chirac might "jump aboard" to back a war, Oakley said.
He added that in Europe the most effective part of Powell's speech was being seen as the links he outlined between Saddam Hussein and militant Islamic terror groups.
"Most countries will go away now and digest Powell's evidence before committing themselves," Oakley said.
Britain
• Foreign Minister Jack Straw of Great Britain -- the United States' key ally in the drive to force Iraq President Saddam Hussein to disarm -- continued Powell's assertion that Iraq is flagrantly flouting the Security Council's resolutions.
"In respect to Iraq, Saddam is defying every one of us," Straw said. "He questions our resolve and is gambling we will lose nerve rather than enforce our will."
Straw told the UN Security Council in New York: "This council will have further reports from the inspectors on Friday week. If non-co-operation continues, this council must meet its responsibilities.
"Our world faces many threats, from poverty and disease to civil war and terrorism. Working through this great institution, we have the capacity to tackle these challenges together. But if we are to do so then the decisions we take must have a force beyond mere words."
China
• Tang Jiaxuan, the foreign minister of permanent Security Council member China -- which holds a veto -- was first to speak.
He urged a continuation of inspections and told Saddam Hussein he must co-operate.
"We should respect the views of the two (U.N. inspection) agencies and support the continuation of their work," Tang told the 15-nation body.
The U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency "have been working very hard (and) it is their view that now they are not in a position to draw conclusions," he said.
Russia
• Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov echoed Tang's comments, saying all information about Iraq's compliance or non-compliance with Security Council resolutions must be "immediately handed over for processing" by the weapons inspectors.
Citing the importance of unity within the international community, Ivanov said Russia still hopes for a political settlement to the Iraq situation "on the basis of complete and strict compliance with U.N. resolutions."
"Iraq should be the first to be concerned about providing final clarity about the question of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems," he said. "That is the only way to a political settlement."
Spain
• Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio also said it was clear that Iraq is not cooperating with the inspectors or the United Nations.
"There is only one explanation for that," she said, "and that is that Saddam Hussein has not renounced his intention to use (weapons of mass destruction)."
Bulgaria
• Bulgaria's Foreign Minister, Solomon Passy, said Iraq should fall in line with the Security Council resolution by February 14 -- the next briefing of the council by its chief weapons inspectors -- or be forced to do so.
Germany
• German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, who presided over the Council meeting, said he believed that war against Iraq could be avoided.
Speaking to German television ZDF hours before Powell was to present new evidence, he said the goals of U.N. Resolution 1441 could be achieved without military action if the weapons inspectors are given more time.
"When one considers the risks of military action, not just the humanitarian consequences for innocent people but also the question of regional destabilisation and the long-term consequences for the anti-terror coalition, then one must make very careful considerations," Fischer said. |
