NATO force in Iraq possible if approved by Iraq, UN: French FM
PLA Daily 2004-02-20
PARIS, Feb. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- France can envisage a NATO force in Iraq if it is approved by a sovereign Iraqi government and by the United Nations, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin saidin an interview published on Thursday.
"Firstly, NATO can only be involved at the request of an Iraqi government and with the prior agreement of the United Nations," Villepin told Le Figaro.
"We must be very prudent over what some countries in the regioncould regard as an act of aggression," he said.
He made this remark when asked about the response of France towards reports that "the United States wish to get out of Iraq before the presidential elections in November and have NATO take over the shift."
"The NATO has brought significant contributions beyond its traditional area of influence. We see it in Afghanistan. In Iraq, it now assures the logistic support to the Polish contingent," said de Villepin.
"The question of the presence of NATO in Iraq raises other questions. A number of conditions must be satisfied," he said.
It is the first time that France, which led opposition to the US-led Iraq war, said it would envisage a presence of NATO in Iraq.
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