Written question asked by Graham Allen (Labour) on Tuesday, 1 July 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 7 July 2003. It was answered by Tony Blair (Labour) on Monday, 7 July 2003 on behalf of the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister

Question: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his statement of 18th March, 401 c764, if he will publish the translation which he used of the remarks by President Chirac on which he based his statement that France said that it would veto a second resolution, whatever the circumstances. - Inc ref to the official Elysee Palace website: www.elysee.fr.

Answer: Mr. Allen: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his statement of 18 March 2003, Official Report, column 764, if he will publish the translation which he used of the remarks by President Chirac on which he based his statement that France said that it would veto a second resolution, whatever the circumstances. [123820] The Prime Minister: The original French text of the television interview given by the President of France on 10 March 2003 and the English translation are available on the official Elysee Palace website: www.elysee.fr The translation of the French President's statement is: "My position is that, regardless of the circumstances, France will vote "no" because she considers this evening that there are no grounds for waging war in order to achieve the goal we have set ourselves, i.e. to disarm Iraq". President Chirac repeated in a private conversation with me that France would block, by veto, any resolution that contained an ultimatum.

Secondary information