French President Jacques Chirac has reiterated his strong opposition to any unilateral US attack on Iraq, but says Washington could launch military action with United Nations' backing.

A few principles and a little order are needed to run the affairs of the world

Jacques Chirac

Mr Chirac proposed a two-stage process, beginning with a UN Security Council resolution giving Baghdad three weeks to readmit arms inspectors.

If the inspectors were not let in, the French president said, there could be another resolution backing the use of force.

BBC Washington correspondent Justin Webb says Mr Chirac's comments - which were made in a New York Times interview - appear to represent a watering down of France's previous opposition to US plans.

UN weapons inspectors have been barred from Iraq

Mr Chirac's comments come as US President George W Bush begins a week of diplomacy aimed at securing backing for his campaign to topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

Mr Bush will hold a summit with Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on Monday and is due to address the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

Danger of unilateralism

Mr Chirac told the New York Times that unilateral action by the United States against Iraq would be "extraordinarily dangerous".

He said there must be indisputable proof about the existence in Iraq of banned weapons of mass destruction.

But if one country claimed the right to take unilateral action, he said, others would follow.

"What would you say in the entirely hypothetical event that China wanted to take pre-emptive action against Taiwan, saying that Taiwan was a threat to it? Or what if India decided to take preventive action against Pakistan, or vice versa?" he asked.

"I don't need to tell you that I condemn the regime in Iraq, naturally, for all the reasons we know," he continued.

"But a few principles and a little order are needed to run the affairs of the world."

Berlin opposed

The French president's comments reposition France closer to Washington than Germany, which has dismissed military intervention in Iraq as an "adventure" in which Berlin will not take part.

Among European nations, only Britain has offered uncritical support to the US.

Cheney warned about Iraq's nuclear plans

Meanwhile, senior Bush administration figures have been mounting a concerted effort to present a unified message on Iraq following recent disagreements.

In a series of television appearances, they said that although the United States would seek international consensus before launching military action, going it alone remained an option.

Vice President Dick Cheney said the US had intercepted aluminium tubes bound for Iraq which he said were for use in attempts to build a nuclear bomb.

And Secretary of State Colin Powell said Saddam Hussein was "a danger to American interests right now, our interest in the region and in due course, interest elsewhere as he develops the capacity to deliver this kind of weapon at greater ranges".