Chirac "took the initiative to call the British prime minister and reminded him of the proposals made by France at the Security Council on March 7 and told him that we are ready to work together for the disarmament of Iraq within the logic of resolution 1441," said Chirac's spokeswoman Catherine Colonna.

"We cannot accept an ultimatum or the automatic recourse to force. Before any decision the inspectors must come back before the UN Security Council to make their report and it is up to the council to decide," she said.

France was "ready to study the criteria for disarmament on the basis of the program that the inspectors will present," she added.

Chirac and Blair agreed that their foreign ministers Dominique de Villepin and Jack Straw will contact on the Iraq issue, said the spokeswoman.

When asked about Blair's reaction to Chirac's proposition, Colonna answered: "It is up to Britain to express its point of view."

Unlike Britain, France has always called for reinforced UN weapons inspections in Iraq as an alternative to war. It vowed to veto a new resolution drafted by the United States, Britain and Spain that would trigger war.

On Thursday, France rejected British proposals for six disarmament conditions for Saddam, arguing that they were a disguised form of ultimatum, which led to a sharp deterioration in cross-channel relations. Blair's spokesman accused France of "poisoning" diplomacy.

Also on Friday, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder reiterated his call for a peaceful settlement to the Iraq crisis and his opposition to US-led war against Iraq.

In a keynote speech to the Bundestag (lower chamber of parliament), Schroeder said Germany needed "the courage to fight for peace as long as there is a glimmer of hope that war can be avoided."

He insisted that Germany pursue "the logic of peace ... rather than the logic of war."

Chief UN inspectors' latest report has shown that Iraq is cooperating better and more actively than before and this means the inspections have to continue, Schroeder said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 15, 2003)