New York: Vehemently opposing a United States-led war against Iraq as it would
create a large number of "little bin Ladens", French President Jacques Chirac has
said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein would do the world and his country "the biggest
favour" by leaving power.
"If Saddam Hussein could only vanish, it would without a doubt be the biggest favour
he could do for his people and for the world," Chirac said in an interview to 'Time'
magazine.
"But we think this goal could be reached without starting a war," he said.
"When a regime like Saddam Hussein's finds itself caught between certain death and
abandoning it's arms, I thing it will make the right choice."
While maintaining that a second United Nations Security Council resolution on Iraq
is unnecessary, Chirac said, "I don't see what any new resolution would add."
"In my view, there's no reason for a new resolution. We are in the framework of (UN
Security Council Resolution) 1441, and let's go with it," Chirac said.
Chirac, who is in favour of giving more time to weapons inspectors, said a war of
this kind couldn't help but give a big lift to terrorism.
"We have to give the inspectors time to do (inspections). And probably – and this is
France's view – we have to reinforce their capacities, especially those of aerial
surveillance. For the moment, nothing allows us to say inspections don't work," he
said.
PTI
