France, Russia and Germany have submitted a new proposal to the UN Security Council aimed at the step-by-step disarmament of Iraq and a peaceful resolution of the crisis, French President Mr Jacques Chirac said tonight.
Mr Chirac's announcement ahead of talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Mr Gerhard Schroeder came as the United States and Britain said they would bring a new resolution that would clear the way for war.
Mr Chirac said both Germany and France opposed a second resolution. With Russia, the two countries had submitted to the Security Council a new proposal which "set deadlines for disarmament, programme by programme", he said.
"We see no reason in this context to change our logic, which is a logic of peace, and to switch to a logic of war," Mr Chirac, standing beside Schroeder, told reporters ahead of an eveningmeeting with the German chancellor in Berlin.
Observers at UN headquarters described the French, Russian and German submission as an informal "counter-proposal" to the draft resolution put forward by the US this evening.
So far the only Security Council members who openly support the United States and Britain are Spain and Bulgaria. Others have spoken in favour of France's position for continuing arms inspections or are uncomfortable in having to make a decision.
Mr Schroeder said of himself and Chirac: "We both believe that we want to achieve the disarmament of Iraq by peaceful means, that's our common policy and will remain so.
"We want to everything to ensure that Iraq fully complies with the demands of the (weapons) inspectors."