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Chirac, Putin: No need for war
PARIS, France -- France, Russia and Germany have issued a joint declaration calling for U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq to be reinforced as part of an attempt to disarm Saddam Hussein peacefully. French President Jacques Chirac, reading the declaration in the presence of visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Iraq's weapons capability must be neutralised as quickly as possible, but that waging war should be considered only as a last resort. "Nothing today justifies a war," he said. "This region really does not need another war." "Russia, Germany and France are in favour of pursuing inspections with a substantial strengthening of human and technical capacity by all means and in consultation with the inspectors, within the limits of resolution 1441," Chirac said. The declaration did not specify how weapons inspections were to be bolstered. (Full text) U.N. Security Council resolution 1441, adopted unanimously in November, warns Iraq of "serious consequences" if it fails to cooperate with inspectors and provide them with an accurate accounting of its weapons programs. Putin, who arrived in Paris on Monday after weekend talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, said Russia believes the crisis must be resolved diplomatically. "We are against the war," Putin said. "At the moment, that's the view I have." Germany said on Sunday it would join with France in presenting to the U.N. Security Council an initiative to disarm Iraq without war. Alluding to the tensions with the U.S. and UK over how to deal with Baghdad, Chirac said the debate over Iraq should take place "in the spirit of friendship and respect that characterises our relations with the United States and other countries." Elements of the German-French plan trickled out at a security conference in Munich over the weekend. German Defence Minister Peter Struck said the initiative built on a French proposal to double or triple the number of weapons inspectors unveiled earlier this month at the Security Council. Struck said it would be presented in the council on Friday after chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix gives a new report on Iraqi cooperation. France and Russia, along with Germany, are among the strongest proponents of a peaceful solution to the Iraq crisis, a position that runs counter to the U.S. warning that "time is running out" for Baghdad to disarm. At a U.N. Security Council meeting last week, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin suggested strengthening the inspection system by "doubling" or "tripling" the number of inspectors in Iraq. He said Mirage-IV aircraft could be used to increase observation capacity and a "specialized corps" put in place to guard sites already checked. Also on Monday, France led a move within NATO that blocked planning for steps to defend Turkey in the event of war against Iraq, prompting an emergency NATO session. NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said he believed the emergency meeting was unprecedented. He called the standoff "undoubtedly a difficult situation" and said a "very heated" debate was under way. (Full story) Russia, like France, is one of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. Putin met German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on his way to Paris and the two leaders both spelled out at a news conference their desire to avoid a war and seek a diplomatic solution. CNN's European Political Editor Robin Oakley said: "Any hopes of France coming on board the so-called 'coalition of the willing' look like being disappointed. "The gulf between Europe and the U.S. appears to be widening by the day." (Full story) The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.
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Nothing today justifies a war. This region really does not need another war. 
