France said late Monday that it would not support any Security Council resolution for military action against Iraq in the coming weeks.
French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, accused Washington of "impatience" in the confrontation with Baghdad over illegal weapons and added, "We believe that nothing today justifies envisaging military action."
The minister added that he would not rule out the possibility that France would use its veto power if the United States presses the Council later this month to authorize war against Iraq for failing to disarm.
According to The New York Times, diplomats said that de Villepin had told U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in closed sessions that France would be more inclined to support war if U.N. weapons inspectors confirmed after another two months or so that Iraq was not willing to disarm.
Meanwhile, a new public opinion poll published Tuesday indicated that support among Britons for war with Iraq has fallen to its lowest level yet.
Just 30 per cent of those quizzed by ICM said they would approve of a war - down six points from a similar poll four weeks ago and lower than at any point since the company began testing opinion on the topic in August.
Some 47 per cent said they opposed a war, up three points over the same period. Only 10 per cent said they would support military action if it was launched without the backing of the U.N..
Despite British government insistence that a second Security Council resolution would not be needed for war, about 81 per cent of people surveyed said they would oppose the use of force without a fresh UN mandate.
ICM interviewed 1,002 adults between January 17 and 19. The poll appeared in Guardian newspaper. (Albawaba.com)
