President Jacques Chirac has insisted that the UN Security Council should handle world crises but added France had to be ready to fight in the war against terror if all other peace-keeping methods failed.
Mr Chirac, who was speaking as France withstood US pressure to support a tough Security Council resolution threatening Iraq, said the world body should be strengthened to deal with issues threatening world peace.
In a speech at an airbase north of Paris, he said the war against international terrorism required diplomatic, legal, financial and military responses.
