Today's Date:

Statements made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson.

Paris, November 19, 2003

Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin attended yesterday's European Union meeting with Colin Powell in Brussels.

Together with the European Union ministers, he welcomed the new American approach which reflects recognition of the principle of sovereignty and anticipates the transfer of sovereignty to a future Iraqi interim government.

In the face of the urgency and the deteriorating situation in Iraq and the region, the minister called for an increased mobilization and consultation of the international community. He insisted on:

- the need to implement a political process relying on all the Iraqi forces opposed to violence, in an accelerated timetable;

- the importance of involving all the countries in the region given the need to address the problems in the region as a whole: Iraq but also the Israeli-Arab conflict and Iran;

- an effective role for the United Nations which must support the political process in Iraq and give it its full legitimacy. In this perspective the minister reiterated his proposal for the appointment of a special envoy of the UN secretary-general.

Yesterday's exchange of views in Brussels revealed a broad convergence for mobilizing to promote peace and stability in the region.

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