France and Germany unite against Iraq war

Germany and France are to coordinate their opposition to war in Iraq, French president Jacques Chirac said today, as the two countries reaffirmed their 40-year "treaty of friendship".

Mr Chirac and German chancellor Gerhard Schröder announced a series of measures to bring the two countries closer together at the heart of Europe, including more cooperation on issues from crime to immigration, as well as foreign policy.

Their joint declaration did not mention Iraq, but at a news conference the French president said that both France and Germany believed any decision on military force should be made by the UN security council, only after UN weapons inspectors have reported on their findings.

They said they would seek "to adopt common positions" in international bodies, including the UN security council.

"For us, war is always the proof of failure and the worst of solutions, so everything must be done to avoid it," Mr Chirac said after the two nations' cabinets met together at the presidential Elysée palace in Paris.

Among other measures, the two governments said their cabinets would regularly hold joint meetings and that both sides would appoint a senior official to oversee their cooperation.

The German chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, had last night made it clear his country would use its position on the UN security council to oppose a resolution backing force against the Iraqi regime.

"Don't expect Germany to approve a resolution legitimising war," Mr Schröder told a rally of his Social Democratic party.

In an article in the German daily Berliner Zeitung, he wrote: "In the crises involving terrorism, Iraq and North Korea, our peoples can count on the governments of Germany and France to join forces to preserve peace, avoid war and ensure people's security."

Earlier this week, the French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, hinted that his country could use its veto power in the security council to block a resolution for war.

France, along with fellow permanent security council members China and Russia, has called for UN inspectors to be given more time to carry out their search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Mr Schröder did not specify whether Germany would vote against a resolution or abstain. Although Germany does not have veto power in the security council, it will take over chairmanship from France early next month.