French President Jacques Chirac said in Paris Thursday it is more necessary than ever to transfer the political management of Iraq to the United Nations after the blast against UN headquarters in Baghdad.
Chirac made this remark when having a conversation on phone with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, during which the two talked about the current situation in Iraq and the perspective of UN presence in the Middle East country, said the French presidential office.
France believes that the transfer of political management of Iraq to the United Nations, based on a detailed timetable, now seems more necessary than ever, said the office.
Chirac also expressed his condolences to Annan for the slain UN special envoy to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was among the 24 killed of Tuesday's suicide truck attack at the UN compound in Baghdad.
France, one of the most vocal opponents of the US-led war on Iraq, has said that it would not commit troops to the stabilization force without a broader UN mandate and has also made it clear their forces would not operate under US command.
The position has not changed, said Chirac's office when briefing the his talk with Annan.
But the United States said that there was no question of the United States ceding any operational control to the United Nations or any other body.
(Xinhua News Agency August 22, 2003)
