France to Lobby EU to Avoid Iraq War

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 22, 2003

France to Lobby EU to Avoid Iraq War

France intends to mobilize the European Union (EU) to help avoid a possible US-led war against Iraq, the French foreign minister said on Tuesday.

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France intends to mobilize the European Union (EU) to help avoid a possible US-led war against Iraq, the French foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Rejecting mounting US pressure for an early UN resolution on military action against Iraq, French Foreign Minister Dominique deVillepin said he would try to achieve a united EU stance on Iraq at the gathering of the 15 EU foreign ministers in Brussels next Monday and Tuesday.

De Villepin said: "It is important that Europe speaks on this issue with a single voice. We are mobilized. We believe war can beavoided."

After talks with his Belgian counterpart Louis Michel, De Villepin told reporters that the Jan. 27 report to the UN SecurityCouncil by UN weapons inspectors working in Iraq would only be an interim report.

"We see no justification today for a (military) intervention, since the inspectors are able to do their work. We could not support unilateral action," De Villepin said.

Belgium's Michel said he shared similar opinions with De Villepin. "We really think there is a diplomatic, political space to be exploited, and that perhaps the European Union could play that role," Michel said.

De Villepin spoke out against a rush to war in a security council debate on Monday, and was backed by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.

France is chairing the security council this month.

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