France will not Join non-UN Action on Iraq: Defense Chief

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, September 14, 2002

France will not Join non-UN Action on Iraq: Defense Chief

France will not join any military campaign against Iraq unless the United Nations authorizes it, French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said here on Friday.

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France will not join any military campaign against Iraq unless the United Nations authorizes it, French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said here on Friday.

"France has made clear that it will not join anything that takes place outside the UN Security Council. We will examine the situation and act according to what the Security Council decides and according to our own analysis of the situation," Alliot-Marie told French radio Europe 1.

However, Paris does not rule out joining UN-sanctioned militaryaction on Iraq if other forms of UN intervention fails to settle the crisis, she said.

"Nothing is ruled out," she said, "As we have shown in Afghanistan, our armies have the human and technological capability necessary to play a role. If we choose to take part, wewill not go unnoticed."

The French minister commented that US President George W. Bush's speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday was inline with France's own proposals.

"It is indispensable that international legality prevails in matters as complicated as this," she added.

On Thursday, Bush urged the United Nations to adopt a new resolution to eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, warning that if the world body failed in this goal, "(US) action will be unavoidable."

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