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`France will only take part in Iraq force under UN control`
Paris, July 10: France will only join a multinational peacekeeping force in Iraq if it is under a UN mandate, French Foreign Minister Dominique De Villepin said in an interview published today.
Paris, July 10: France will only join a multinational peacekeeping force in Iraq if it is under a UN
mandate, French Foreign Minister Dominique De Villepin said
in an interview published today.
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday said he had made requests to France and Germany to join a coalition of countries that would share the cost and responsibility of the ongoing military occupation in Iraq.
De Villepin was asked by the conservative French newspaper Le Figaro what conditions France would place on sending troops to Iraq. "We would prefer that the political transition in Iraq is placed under the responsibility of the United Nations," the minister replied.
"Our participation could therefore only be envisaged as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force, based on a precise mandate from the Security Council and benefitting from the support of the all of the international community."
Meanwhile, a report from Managua said Nicaragua's Congress yesterday approved the deployment of 230 soldiers to join a multinational division working with US-led forces in Iraq. Congress approved the government's deployment request in a 50-37 vote, split along party lines between the ruling party and the opposition.
Most of the Nicaraguan forces to be deployed are experts in removing land mines and are due to arrive in Iraq in late July. Neighboring El Salvador and Honduras are also expected to send troops, but their legislatures have yet to approve the deployments.
Bureau Report
De Villepin was asked by the conservative French newspaper Le Figaro what conditions France would place on sending troops to Iraq. "We would prefer that the political transition in Iraq is placed under the responsibility of the United Nations," the minister replied.
"Our participation could therefore only be envisaged as part of a United Nations peacekeeping force, based on a precise mandate from the Security Council and benefitting from the support of the all of the international community."
Meanwhile, a report from Managua said Nicaragua's Congress yesterday approved the deployment of 230 soldiers to join a multinational division working with US-led forces in Iraq. Congress approved the government's deployment request in a 50-37 vote, split along party lines between the ruling party and the opposition.
Most of the Nicaraguan forces to be deployed are experts in removing land mines and are due to arrive in Iraq in late July. Neighboring El Salvador and Honduras are also expected to send troops, but their legislatures have yet to approve the deployments.
Bureau Report