(20 Jun 1998) English/Nat
French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin left Washington for New York on Friday to hold talks with U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Earlier Jospin had called on Yugoslav leaders to act rationally to avoid NATO intervention in the widening crisis in Kosovo.
Jospin also urged Pakistan and India to sign a global test ban treaty following their explosion of nuclear devices last month.
French Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, spent a little over an hour talking to U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York on Friday.
Following their meeting, Jospin said he and Annan discussed a number of issues including the troubles in Kosovo.
France is one of the permanent five members of the U-N Security Council.
Speaking to reporters and officials in Washington D-C earlier on Friday, Jospin said NATO military action in Kosovo could be averted.
He said President Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia needed to behave more sensibly and withdraw his forces from the province.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We tried to use the influence of the Russian country on the Milosevic, to make progress, but we are not sure it will be enough. And we are looking in NATO organs -- the different hypotheses of using force if it necessary. So we are prepared to intervene."
SUPERCAPTION: Lionel Jospin, French Prime Minister
But while he said he supported the contact group's efforts on Kosovo, Jospin mentioned what could become a condition for French participation in a military action.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We prefer that our forces if we have to do so, intervene on behalf of (the) United Nations and with the mandate of (the) United Nations for reasons of principle. It's because if you use force in conflicts, international conflicts, and mainly in internal conflicts to some extent, it's better to do it in the name of the law."
SUPERCAPTION: Lionel Jospin, French Prime Minister
The U-S and France have disagreed in the past on nuclear arms control, in particular on above ground testing conducted by France.
But Jospin said his country backs the strong U-S criticism of recent nuclear tests by India and Pakistan.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We must now convince these two countries to join the rest of the international community be acceding unconditionally to the comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty, and by participating in discussions on the cut off of production of weapons missile material. The international nonproliferation regime must not be undermined. It behoves us to find a way that this is the case."
SUPERCAPTION: Lionel Jospin, French Prime Minister
Jospin also touched on the situation in the Middle East, saying it was worrying because tensions in the region were rising.
He urged Israel to accept a U-S plan for further withdrawals from the West Bank.
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