"France wants to give peaceful disarmament every possible chance," he said, warning of "the disastrous consequences" of a new war in a region already so deadly and fragile.

Meanwhile, France, Germany, and Russia offer a counter-proposal calling for peaceful disarmament through further inspections.

The aim of the resolution is to give Iraq one last chance for peaceful disarmament, and to preserve the legitimacy of the U.N.

The Russian ambassador, Sergey Lavrov, echoed that position, telling reporters, "We do not think the chance for a peaceful disarmament of Iraq has been lost."

Regrettably, Iraq has let three crucial months go by without grasping what is clearly its last chance for peaceful disarmament.

"We believe that a peaceful disarmament of Iraq is possible on the basis of the existing resolution, 1441."

But, he said at another point, "I can't avoid it unless Saddam chooses the route of peaceful disarmament.

Iraq's time for choosing peaceful disarmament is fast coming to an end.

But he also criticized the rupture of negotiations toward peaceful disarmament.

"Resolution 1441, on which everything is based, provides for every chance to achieve a peaceful disarmament," the Chancellor said.