The United Nations must have responsibility for all operations in Iraq before a wider Nato role in stabilising the country can be considered, French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said on Tuesday.
"Before considering anything at all, the United Nations must have responsibility for all operations. There must be a legitimate Iraqi government - we want this to come as quickly as possible - and there must be a request from this government," she told a news conference in Brussels.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell urged Nato allies last week to consider a wider role for the alliance in stabilising Iraq but France and Germany - both strong opponents of the US-led invasion of the country - had refused.
French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said then that Nato was "simply not the right place" for a decision on the situation in Iraq after July 1, when the United States will restore sovereignty to the people.
Alliot-Marie appeared to go further, ruling out any consideration of an alliance mission until the United Nations was in complete charge, though she declined to explain what she meant.
BLAIR SAYS NO PLACE IN IRAQ FOR ARMED MILITIAS:
LONDON: British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday there was "absolutely no place for armed militias" in Iraq, after days of bloody clashes between US-led forces and Shiite Muslim radicals.
"There is absolutely no place for these sorts of militias," Blair told reporters after meeting Iraq's interim foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari in London.
"Our response to this should not be to run away," said Blair, the key US ally in the war in Iraq, adding: "Our response should be to hold firm".
Britain said earlier it was sending up to 5,000 replacement troops to Iraq, but insisted it was not planning to deploy extra soldiers.
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