Washington: France has agreed to join the United States in the event of Washington launching a military offensive against Iraq, after initially disagreeing with the Bush administration over unilateral use of force to disarm Saddam Hussein, a media report on December 23 said.

France, a major NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) ally, has identified ground units that would be offered for the fight, 'The Washington Times' said quoting a senior US official.

The official hinted that French combat jets would also take part, the paper added.

There had been some doubts about France joining in the American invasion because it has been insisting that force should not be used against Iraq except under UN auspices.

The official said there are "dozens of countries" offering support for any US military action against Iraq. Britain, the official noted, has already said it is ready to shed blood" to disarm Saddam Hussein and that it may commit 20,000 troops.

Other NATO allies ready to help, the official said, include Italy, Spain, Hungary, Poland and possibly even Germany.

The US hopes, according to media reports, Turkey will allow up to 60,000 US ground troops to invade Iraq from the North in addition to invasion from the South, which it can mount from existing bases. Washington is also planning to invest millions of dollars to upgrade Turkish bases to house more aircraft and -- if Turkey agrees -- ground troops.

The US war plan calls for about 250,000 ground, air and Naval forces.

PTI