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Fren
ch Foreign Affairs Minister Dominique de Villepin was Sunday
beginning a visit to African member states of the U.N. Security
Council in an attempt to win support for a peaceful solution to the
Iraq crisis, the foreign ministry confirmed in Paris.
Departing Sunday evening de Villepin was to visit Angola, Cameroon
and Guinea. The United States wants the Security Council to vote
Tuesday on a second Iraq resolution which would give Baghdad until
March 17 to declare its unconditional willingness to disarm.
The U.S. is also courting the three African states to win their
support. For their draft resolution to be accepted the U.S.,
Britain and Spain need nine of the 15 votes on the Security
Council. In addition none of the permanent members of the Council,
one of which is France, must veto the resolution.
Paris, along with Russia and Germany, has supported
thesition.
Meanwhile French President Jacques Chirac continues with his plan
for an emergency summit of Security Council members on the Iraq
issue. The president's office has confirmed that Chirac has already
spoken with several heads of state and government.
The summit suggestion was made by de Villepin during Friday's
sitting of the Security Council. However, U.S. Secretary of State
Colin Powell immediately rejected the idea.
Chirac's office has confirmed that France will agree to no
resolution which approves the automatic use of force -Sapa-DPA.
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