France says US text on Iraq could permit strike

France has said the US draft resolution on disarming Iraq contains ambiguous language that could allow military action.

It has vowed to pursue a revision of the text at the United Nations, along with China and Russia.

In the current resolution text there are some ambiguities. . . Both war and peace can be triggered by ambiguities. A senior French official speaking at the EU summit this morning.

"We cannot accept an element of automatic resort to force," a senior French official said on the sidelines of a European Union summit in Brussels.

"In the current resolution text there are some ambiguities, some key words which could allow an automatic resort to force. Both war and peace can be triggered by ambiguities".

Washington, hoping to break a month-long deadlock, gave its four veto-wielding UN Security Council colleagues - Britain, China, France and Russia - its draft resolution earlier this week.

The Security Council is expected to debate the text for the first time later today.

The US draft, co-sponsored by Britain, would declare Iraq in "material breach" of past UN resolutions and warn Iraq of "serious consequences" if it thwarts new weapons inspections. Russia and France fear such language could prompt military action.