President Jacques Chirac last night said he believed if the US obtained a majority of votes in the UN Security Council authorising war against Iraq, Russia and China would join France in vetoing the resolution.
"Whatever the circumstances, France will vote No," Mr Chirac said in a television interview.
"Because she considers there is no reason to go to war. . . I have the feeling that today, the Russians and Chinese, if asked to vote on a resolution authorising war, are inclined to have the same attitude as France."
The French President stressed, however, that he believed "the green light for war" would not obtain nine Yes votes. "In that case, France will be among those voting No, but there is no problem of a veto."
The French Foreign Minister, Mr Dominique de Villepin, yesterday travelled to Angola, Cameroon and Guinea, the three African countries currently on the Council, in the hope of securing their No votes. This lobbying by Paris, Le Monde reported, has led Washington to consider that France "has gone from behaving as an ally to behaving like an adversary."
Mr de Villepin will meet his Spanish counterpart, Ms Ana Palacio, who supports the resolution, in Paris this morning.
Mr Chirac said he had not decided whether he would travel to New York for the Security Council vote. "I will go if there is a collective decision [of heads of state]," he said. "I made the proposal, which is, I believed, justified. But I cannot impose a point of view. I will not go alone."
Mr Chirac spoke to the Russian President, Mr Vladimir Putin, by telephone yesterday. Other heads of state seem reluctant to make the journey, because it could intensify a confrontation with Washington, and because without Concorde jets, their travelling time is longer.
Mr Chirac said he proposed that heads of state attend the meeting "for the essential reason that it is deciding on war or peace, with all the consequences that entails." President George Bush has announced that he will not attend the session.
"It seems legitimate to me that so important a decision be taken by the heads of state themselves," Mr Chirac said. He wanted there to be "a second discussion, because there are other crises in the world - Israel-Palestine, North Korea."
The French leader warned that war would break apart the international coalition against terrorism because a very large majority of countries were opposed to war.
At the same time, he added: "If there is a war, it is certain that the first winner will probably be all those who want a clash of cultures and religion. A war of this nature can only lead to more terrorism."
Mr Chirac stressed that France remained a friend and ally of the US. "If they need to fly over our territory, obviously this is something that goes without saying."
French businessmen have expressed fears that France's trade with the US, which totalled €26.12 billion last year, would be endangered by French use of the veto.
A US embargo on French goods "would be meaningless," Mr Chirac predicted. "They are a liberal country. . . We are in a globalised economy where trade is regulated by international organisations like the WTO and the EU. If the US wanted to enforce trade measures against France, they would have to act against Europe - including the United Kingdom."
Commentators have compared Mr Chirac's attitude in the Iraq crisis to that of the late Gen Charles de Gaulle, who repeatedly clashed with Washington. "Gen de Gaulle never opposed the US for the sake of opposing the US," Mr Chirac said. "He affirmed the interests of France. I can only be flattered by the comparison."
Even if there was only "one chance in a million" of preventing war, "it would not diminish my determination to resolve the Iraq crisis without war," he concluded.
In a telephone conversation, President Jiang Zemin urged President Bush to resolve the Iraqi crisis peacefully and to allow weapons inspections to continue.