Paris, Feb 11: France has sent proposals for intensified UN weapons inspections in Iraq to chief UN inspector Hans Blix and the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog agency Mohamed el Baradei, the foreign ministry said today.
The proposals, first put forth by foreign minister Dominique de Villepin last week, have been "transmitted to Blix and el Baradei for their comments," a ministry spokesman said.
De Villepin's last week called for the number of UN weapons inspectors be doubled or tripled, and proposed spy planes be deployed on reconnaissance missions and the naming
of a "permanent coordinator" in Baghdad.
The proposals also call for a pooling of intelligence resources and the creation of a specialised team tasked with overseeing sites in Iraq already visited by UN inspectors.
On Monday, Paris, Berlin and Moscow issued a joint declaration calling for intensified inspections as an alternative to US calls for war against Baghdad.
Blix and el Baradei, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency, are due to deliver a key progress report on the disarmament inspections to the UN Security Council on Friday.
Bureau Report
