French President Mr Jacques Chirac said today Iraq must co-operate more actively with UN weapons inspectors.
"Iraq should do more, offer increased and more active co-operation," Mr Chirac, who has maintained a strong anti-war stance, said in a speech to the Algerian parliament during a three-day tour of the former colony.
"We should maintain strong pressure on it so that we reach, together and in peace, the objective we have set: the elimination of weapons of mass destruction. That is our responsibility in the eyes of history," he added.
Baghdad began destroying some of its 120 al-Samoud 2 missiles on Saturday, meeting a key deadline set by UN chief arms inspector Dr Hans Blix, who says their range exceeds the 93-mile limit allowed by UN resolutions.
France said yesterday it opposed a fresh UN resolution that could trigger a war with Iraq and challenged arguments put forward by Washington and London for using force against Baghdad.
Mr Chirac is on the first full-fledged presidential state visit to Algeria since the former French colony secured independence.
Separately, the United Nations said today Iraq would also submit a new report on VX nerve gas and anthrax stocks.