NEW YORK, Sept 22: France will not veto any new US resolution on Iraq at the UN Security Council, but will abstain unless the motion includes a prompt transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis, French President Jacques Chirac said on Monday.

“We don’t have the intention to oppose. If we oppose it, that would mean voting no, that is to say, to use the veto. I am not in that mindset at all,” Chirac told the New York Times.

But he said France would only support the resolution if it included a deadline and timetable for transferring sovereignty as well as a “key role” for the United Nations in the country.

If these provisions were not included, France would abstain, Chirac said.

A transfer of sovereignty should occur “right now”, followed by a “transfer of responsibility” within six to nine months, he insisted.

France led opposition to the Iraq invasion at the UN Security Council. And French opposition to the new US resolution had led to fears of a new battle at the Security Council.

But both sides have sought to play down the confrontation.

Asked about Chirac’s position, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said: “We have a shared goal of transferring responsibility to the Iraqi people as quickly as possible. There have been some constructive discussions. We are continuing those discussions.”

“There have been a number of positive comments about moving forward on a new resolution,” said the White House spokesman.

US President George Bush is to meet Chirac on Tuesday. Both leaders will address the UN General Assembly.

Chirac told the Times: “We can either abstain or vote yes. To vote yes, we need a clear long-range political vision and a key role for the UN.”

“A clear long-range political vision is one that sets out first, a precise deadline for a transfer of sovereignty, and second, a timetable for transferring responsibility,” he said.

“What I propose resembles to some degree what we’re doing in Afghanistan,” where international involvement continued after a relatively rapid transfer of power to Afghans, Chirac said.

“We believe that there will be no concrete solution unless sovereignty is transferred to Iraq as quickly as possible.”

The United States wants a UN Security Council resolution that would authorize the deployment of a multinational force in Iraq, easing Washington’s financial and military burden in the unstable country.

The resolution proposed by Washington also affords international acceptance of the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council and asks the Iraqis to suggest a clear timetable for the creation of democratic institutions.

Chirac ruled out for the moment sending French combat troops to Iraq, but said France could be willing to train Iraqi soldiers and police.

In an interview with Fox News television, President George Bush referred to a seven-step US plan for restoring Iraqi sovereignty with the handover of power at the end.

“The key on any (UN) resolution ... is not to get in the way of an orderly transfer of sovereignty based upon a logical series of steps,” he said. “And that’s constitution, elections and then the transfer of authority.”

Asked if he was willing to grant a larger role to the United Nations in Iraq’s political development, Bush replied: “I’m not so sure we have to.”

But he said UN assistance in writing a new Iraqi constitution and monitoring future elections would be “helpful”.

Chirac told UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Sunday that France would participate in discussions of the draft UN resolution “in a constructive, open manner”, the president’s spokeswoman said. —AFP