Tweet
Disarm, occupy Iraq: France, Germany
UN peacekeepers, intence scrutiny sought for Iraq instead of war
BERLIN (AP) - Germany and France are working on a broad disarmament plan for Iraq designed to avoid war, including the deployment of UN soldiers throughout the country, reconnaissance flights and a tripling of the number of weapons inspectors, a German magazine reported today.
The plan could be presented to the UN Security Council as a resolution, the weekly Der Spiegel said, although it was unclear how the two countries or the United Nations would win Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's approval for carrying it out.
The plan would have international peacekeepers "in effect take control of the country for years," declare all of Iraq a no-fly zone and lead to agreements with Iraq's neighbours to crack down on smuggled exports of Iraqi oil as part of strengthened economic sanctions, Der Spiegel said.
The German and French governments - both of which oppose U.S. pressure for an early war on Iraq - have been working on the idea since the start of the year, the report said, adding that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is convinced that Germany needs to move beyond his strict anti-war stand that has angered the United States and present alternative ways to disarm Iraq.
German Defence Minister Peter Struck and his French counterpart Michele Alliot-Marie, both attending a security policy conference in Munich, confirmed that their countries were working on a joint initiative.
They gave no details, but Struck said he would discuss the issue on the sidelines of the conference with U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Schroeder will also address the topic during a speech to parliament Thursday, Struck said.
A German government spokesman confirmed that Germany and France are "jointly considering specific peaceful alternatives to a military solution" in Iraq. The spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, refused to comment on details.
As part of intensified sanctions against Iraq, western countries would tighten export-control laws, Der Spiegel said. France would provide Mirage jets for reconnaissance flights to aid inspectors in their search for weapons.
Some of the ideas were presented to the Security Council this week by French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin. He suggested tripling the number of inspectors and aiding their job with Mirage jets.
Der Spiegel said Germany and France are sounding out other critics of the U.S. approach about their plan, including Russia, China and Greece.
UN peacekeepers, intence scrutiny sought for Iraq instead of war
BERLIN (AP) - Germany and France are working on a broad disarmament plan for Iraq designed to avoid war, including the deployment of UN soldiers throughout the country, reconnaissance flights and a tripling of the number of weapons inspectors, a German magazine reported today.
The plan could be presented to the UN Security Council as a resolution, the weekly Der Spiegel said, although it was unclear how the two countries or the United Nations would win Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's approval for carrying it out.
The plan would have international peacekeepers "in effect take control of the country for years," declare all of Iraq a no-fly zone and lead to agreements with Iraq's neighbours to crack down on smuggled exports of Iraqi oil as part of strengthened economic sanctions, Der Spiegel said.
The German and French governments - both of which oppose U.S. pressure for an early war on Iraq - have been working on the idea since the start of the year, the report said, adding that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is convinced that Germany needs to move beyond his strict anti-war stand that has angered the United States and present alternative ways to disarm Iraq.
German Defence Minister Peter Struck and his French counterpart Michele Alliot-Marie, both attending a security policy conference in Munich, confirmed that their countries were working on a joint initiative.
They gave no details, but Struck said he would discuss the issue on the sidelines of the conference with U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Schroeder will also address the topic during a speech to parliament Thursday, Struck said.
A German government spokesman confirmed that Germany and France are "jointly considering specific peaceful alternatives to a military solution" in Iraq. The spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, refused to comment on details.
As part of intensified sanctions against Iraq, western countries would tighten export-control laws, Der Spiegel said. France would provide Mirage jets for reconnaissance flights to aid inspectors in their search for weapons.
Some of the ideas were presented to the Security Council this week by French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin. He suggested tripling the number of inspectors and aiding their job with Mirage jets.
Der Spiegel said Germany and France are sounding out other critics of the U.S. approach about their plan, including Russia, China and Greece.
Comment