French President Jacques Chirac on Thursday warned that unilateral action by Israel such as its planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip was "doomed to failure."
"Peace cannot be achieved without negotiation," Chirac said at a news conference in response to a question on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to leave the Gaza Strip without prior concentration with the Palestinians.
"Only a negotiated agreement can allow Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side in peace and security. Every other procedure is doomed to failure," he said.
Earlier this month US President George W. Bush approved Sharon's proposals for an Israeli pullout, though they have yet to be accepted by Sharon's own political party.
Chirac implicitly criticised Bush for agreeing that the borders separating Israel and a future Palestinian state should be modified, and that there should be no automatic right of return to Israel for Palestinian refugees.
"One cannot unilaterally modify international law, nor pre-empt the results of a negotiation which sooner or later will be obviously necessary," he said.