Chronology of French initiatives during the "presidential palaces" crisis16 January 1998
Visit to Paris by Mr Butler
19-21 January
Mr Butler's mission to Baghdad (Iraqi decision to "freeze" discussions on access to presidential sites for three months).
24 January
The Security Council unanimously condemns the Iraqi decision, without issuing a statement by the President or adopting a new resolution.
27 January
Meeting between President Chirac and UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, in Paris.
28 January
Talks in Paris with the Russian Foreign Minister, Mr Yevgeni Primakov.
29 January
Dinner given by the French Foreign Minister, M. Hubert Védrine, in honour of the American Secretary of State, Mrs Madeleine Albright.
30 January
Telephone conversation between President Chirac and Mr Bill Clinton.
2 February
Two telephone conversations between President Chirac and the Russian President, Mr Boris Yeltsin.
3 February
Talks in Amman between the Foreign Ministry Secretary-General, M. Bertrand Dufourcq, and Prince Hassan of Jordan.
The Foreign Ministry Secretary-General's mission to Baghdad to deliver a message from President Chirac to the Iraqi Head of State.
First meeting with Vice-Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.
4 February
Meeting between M. Dufourcq and the Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein.
Second meeting between M. Dufourcq and Mr Tariq Aziz.
Meeting in Baghdad between M. Dufourcq and the Russian special envoy for the Middle East, Mr Victor Possuvalyuk.
5 February
Third meeting in Baghdad between M. Dufourcq and Mr Tariq Aziz.
Meeting in Baghdad between M. Dufourcq and the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Mr Abdul Meguid.
M. Bertrand Dufourcq has a meeting in Cairo with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr Amr Moussa.
6 February
M. Bertrand Dufourcq has a meeting in Damascus with the Syrian Foreign Minister, Mr Farouk Al-Shara.
Communication, by the Deputy Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the EU member States' embassies in Paris.
7 February
M. Bertrand Dufourcq has a meeting in Riyadh with Prince Saud Al-Faisal, then in Kuwait with the Emir, Sheikh Jabir.
Visit by M. Christian Pierret, Minister of State for Industry, to Sanaa. Delivery of a message from President Chirac to the President of Yemen, Mr Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Mission to the Maghreb by M. Jacques Blot, Foreign Ministry Deputy Secretary-General for Political and Security Affairs. He has a meeting in Rabat with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
8 February
M. Jacques Blot has meetings in Algiers and then Tunis.
M. Jean-Claude Cousseran, Head of the Foreign Ministry's North Africa and Middle East department, has a meeting in Beirut with the Lebanese Prime Minister, Mr Rafiq Hariri, then in Amman with the Jordanian Foreign Minister.
M. Jean de Gliniasty, Head of the Foreign Ministry's United Nations and International Organizations department, has a meeting in Manama with the Bahraini Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, then in Abu Dhabi with the Foreign Minister, Sheikh Hamdan.
9 February
Visit by M. Christian Pierret to Doha. Delivery of a message from President Chirac to the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.
Letter from the French Foreign Minister, M. Hubert Védrine, to the other 14 European Union Foreign Ministers and the Turkish Foreign Minister (setting out France's ideas).
Meeting in Paris between M. Hubert Védrine and his Egyptian opposite number, Mr Amr Moussa.
M. Jean-Claude Cousseran has meetings in Jerusalem with senior officials of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, then in the Palestinian Territories with Mr Yasser Arafat.
M. Jean de Gliniasty has a meeting in Muscat with the Omani Foreign Minister, Mr Yosuf bin Alawi.
Talks between the Foreign Ministry Secretary-General, M. Bertrand Dufourcq, and the Turkish Ambassador to Paris.
10 February
Telephone conversation between M. Hubert Védrine and Mr Tariq Aziz.
Talks in Moscow between M. Jacques Blot and the Vice-Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Ivanov.
11 February
First meeting between Mr Kofi Annan and the P5 in New York.
12 February
Discussion of the P4 in New York on the advice to be given to the Secretary-General before his mission to Baghdad.
13 February
The Ministry's Deputy Secretary-General for Economic Affairs, M. Claude Martin, has a meeting in Stockholm with the Secretary-General of the Swedish Foreign Ministry, Mr Jan Eliasson.
Second meeting between Mr Kofi Annan and the P5 in New York.
15 February
Message from the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr Amr Moussa, to the French Foreign Minister, M. Hubert Védrine.
16 February
Mission to Asia of M. Denis Bauchard, delivering a written message from President Chirac. He has a meeting in Islamabad with the Pakistani Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Démarche made by our representative in Baghdad, M. Aubin de La Messuzière, to the Iraqi Vice-Prime Minister.
Third meeting between Mr Kofi Annan and the P5 in New York.
17 February
Visit to Paris by Mr Mohammed Saaed Al-Sahhaf, Iraqi Foreign Minister, to deliver a message from the Iraqi Head of State to President Chirac. Audience with President Chirac, then a meeting at the Foreign Ministry with M. Hubert Védrine.
Communiqué issued by the Presidency of the Republic (the search for a diplomatic solution requires the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan to go to Baghdad).
M. Denis Bauchard, bearing a written message from President Chirac, has a meeting in Kuala Lumpur with the Malaysian Prime Minister.
Fourth meeting between Mr Kofi Annan and the P5 in New York.
18 February
M. Denis Bauchard, bearing a written message from President Chirac, has a meeting with the Indian Prime Minister in New Delhi.
Telephone conversation between M. Hubert Védrine and Mr Kamal Kharazi, Iranian Foreign Minister.
The UN Secretary-General meets the Security Council (which gives him its support).
19 February
Stopover by the UN Secretary-General in Paris on the way to Baghdad. Meeting between Mr Kofi Annan and President Chirac.
Telephone conversations between President Chirac and the Russian President, Mr Yeltsin, the Egyptian President, Mr Mubarak, the Tunisian President, Mr Ben Ali, the Brazilian President, Mr Cardoso, the King of Morocco, the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, the Italian Prime Minister, Mr Prodi, the Spanish Prime Minister, Mr Aznar and the German Chancellor, Mr Kohl.
French proposal for a declaration by the European Union Presidency supporting the UN Secretary-General's mission to Baghdad.
21 February
First telephone conversation between President Chirac and Mr Kofi Annan (in Baghdad).
22 February
Second telephone conversation between President Chirac and Mr Kofi Annan (in Baghdad).
Telephone conversations between President Chirac and the Heads of State or Government of the other 14 Security Council members.
Telephone conversations between President Chirac and the Syrian President, Mr Hafez el Assad, and Lebanese Prime Minister, Mr Rafiq Hariri.
Dinner at the Elysée given by President Chirac in honour of Mr Kofi Annan.
24 February
Presentation of the Baghdad Agreement to the Security Council by Mr Kofi Annan./.
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