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France unveils Iraq proposal as alternative to war
( 2003-02-12 08:23 ) (7 )

France proposed on Tuesday expanding UN security units in Iraq as part of an effort to bolster inspections as an alternative to war, despite doubts raised by chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix.

Taking the offensive against the United States and Britain, the four-page French informal paper called for a tripling of the number of inspectors and security units, presumably UN guards, to ensure that a suspected site would remain "frozen."

France, which along with Germany, Russia and China, opposes a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, did not say whether its proposals, a virtual blueprint for containment, could be turned into a resolution, should the United States and Britain introduce a measure asking the council to authorize force.

But at a minimum the French proposals, first outlined by Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin at the United Nations last week, would serve as a lobbying point and build on anti-war jitters in the 15-nation council, diplomats said.

Blix, who presents a key report to the Security Council on Friday on Iraq's cooperation, said again on Tuesday that more inspectors could be useful but were not essential as long as Baghdad was not forthcoming with all information on its weapons of mass destruction.

"One can have more inspectors but we do already mount quite a few inspection teams every day," he told reporters. "It still remains vital that we have good cooperation from the Iraqis, on substance, not on process."

DE VILLEPIN, IVANOV MAY COME TO NEW YORK

Diplomats said de Villepin as well as Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov were considering coming to New York for Blix's Friday report. Their presence may inspire other foreign ministers to make the trip for the third time in a month, diplomats said.

In the run-up to the meeting, President Bush's national security adviser, Condoleeze Rice met in New York on Tuesday with Blix on his Friday report. Rice flew to New York for a quick meeting with Blix before his last Jan. 27 report.

Blix, at UN headquarters after briefing Australian Prime Minister John Howard on his weekend trip to Baghdad, which has set up two new commissions, said Iraq had "to work very fast to come up with new material" on its banned weapons.

Anticipating the French proposals, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw dismissed them in a Tuesday speech to London's Institute for International Studies.

"If Saddam bows to the UN's demands and cooperates promptly, what is the need for greater numbers of inspectors?" Straw said.

For a resolution to be adopted, it needs nine positive votes in the 15-member council and no veto from its five permanent members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.

To date, six countries are thought likely to support a tough U.S. position -- the United States, Britain, Spain, Bulgaria, Chile and Angola. Strongly backing the call for inspections to go on longer are France, Russia, China, Germany and Syria. Mexico, Pakistan, Cameroon and Guinea support the Franco-German position but may be swing votes.

The French proposals would:

-- Double or triple the number of inspectors;

-- Increase aerial surveillance to make sure a site remains frozen or have this task done by UN security guards;

-- Have mobile customs teams to check on the nature of goods entering Iraq and inspect cargoes at will;

-- Set up a new intelligence unit in New York to coordinate information flowing into Blix's UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, which fields nuclear arms inspectors and is headed by Mohamed ElBaradei;

-- UNMOVIC and IAEA should draw up a complete list of unresolved disarmament tasks in order of importance in an effort "to push the Iraqis up against a wall and not leave them any way out";

-- Place a coordinator in Iraq who would serve as a liaison with Iraqi authorities on a day-to-day basis.