Chirac, Bush Agree on US-drafted Resolution on Iraq

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 08, 2002

Chirac, Bush Agree on US-drafted Resolution on Iraq

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French President Jacques Chirac and United States President George W. Bush have "finalized their agreement" on a Washington-proposed United Nations draft resolution on Iraq, the French presidential palace announced on Thursday.

Chirac "talked on phone with President Bush this evening on the issue of Iraq and finalized an agreement on the points that remained in suspense between France and the United States," said presidential spokeswoman Catherine Colonna.

"There is a positive dynamic. We hope that a consensus will be reached in the Security Council in the vote on Friday," said Colonna.

Chirac and Bush talked on phone when Chirac was flying back to Paris from a French-Italian summit in Rome.

The points that remained in suspense referred to the wording about the use of force if Iraq fails to comply with its obligations to weapons disarmament.

French diplomats feared that the draft would contain "hidden triggers" for automatic military action against Iraq, to which Paris firmly opposes.

Speaking hours earlier on Thursday, the French Foreign Ministry said "a few ambiguities" remained to be cleared in the draft but Washington and Paris were very close to the end.

In Rome, Chirac underlined that the negotiations in past weeks have allowed France to "get recognition for certain fundamental points."

He also warned that the new resolution to be adopted would be a last chance for peace in Iraq, calling on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to do as required by the UN resolutions.

Washington presented its latest revised draft version on Wednesday to the UN Security Council for discussion, saying that it is the last chance for Iraq to scrap its alleged weapons of mass destruction or face serious consequences.

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