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STATEMENT BY THE SPOKESPERSON
FRANCE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
September 3, 2002
Excerpts
Q - How do you interpret Tarik Aziz's statements? Do you support that position? I would like a comment on Tarik Aziz's statement in Johannesburg.
I don't have one.
Q - Is Tarik Aziz's statement a step in the right direction?
What would seem to be a step in the right direction, as we've been repeating for weeks, if not months, would be for Iraq to immediately pledge to respect international law, i.e., the Security Council resolutions. More concretely, we've constantly called on Baghdad to give its unconditional agreement to allow UN inspectors back into Iraq to accomplish their mission on the ground without obstacles.
Q - Anything new on meetings with Iraqi leaders?
No, I have nothing new to add to yesterday's response.
Q - As for the return of UN inspectors, we know there won't be an ultimatum, but is there a date after which the French position could change?
The foreign minister was asked about this during his press conference in Elsinore. He indicated that as far as Iraq is concerned, we're not talking about a calendar but rather a logic of respect for international law. That's what we must rally around. In the same spirit, he asked for the return of UN inspectors to Iraq take place rapidly and without preconditions.
Q - What do you think of the UN spokesperson's statement?
As a permanent member of the Security Council, we need to wait for direct information from Mr. Kofi Annan. Indeed, we took note of the remarks but we want to have a more substantial idea of the content of that conversation before expressing an opinion. Let me reiterate our position of principle, i.e., our relentless support for the UN Secretary-General's efforts, through his contacts with Iraqi interlocutors, to move the situation forward.