Foreign ministers from France, Russia and Germany have agreed not to allow a US-British brokered resolution authorising war in Iraq to be passed in the United Nations Security Council.
The development seems to destroy US and British hopes of waging war with the approval of the Security Council.
Announcing the decision, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said the three countries also agreed to back more United Nations weapons inspections in Iraq.
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German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer (left) answers a journalist'squestion as French counterpart Dominique de Villepin (centre) and RussianForeign Minister Igor Ivanov look on during a joint news conference in Paris today
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"We will not allow the passage of a planned resolution which would authorise the use of force," he said after a meeting in Paris with his counterparts Mr Igor Ivanov of Russia and Mr Joschka Fischer of Germany.
"Russia and France as permanent security council members will fully assume all their responsibilities," he added at a joint news conference with Mr Ivanov and Mr Fischer.
Asked whether France was ready to use its right of veto to block a UN resolution giving the green light for force in Iraq, Mr Villepin added: "We are totally on the same line as Russia."
Mr Ivanov said in London yesterday Moscow would not abstain on the resolution, which the United States and Britain may introduce next week, and warned it could use its veto power.
Mr Ivanov also said that China, another veto-wielding Security Council member which last month supported a memo by the three anti-war powers urging more inspections, "shares our approach" on the Iraq crisis.
As a temporary member of the Council, Germany has one of 15 votes, but does not have a veto.
The ministers said in a joint declaration: "We strongly encourage the Iraqi authorities to cooperate more actively with the inspectors towards the full disarmament of their country. These inspections cannot continue indefinitely."
Mr Villepin and Mr Ivanov were originally due to meet alone in Paris in advance of a key United Nations meeting on Friday when arms inspectors are due to deliver their latest reports on Iraqi disarmament.
Mr Fischer cancelled two political speeches in Bavaria today to rush to Paris to join his French and Russian counterparts, his Greens party said. Mr Villepin said all three would travel to New York for the meeting.