France stands firm under huge U.S.-U.K pressure

Reuters -- France withstood huge pressure from the United States and Britain to fall in line over Iraq on Monday, saying it could not support a war ultimatum while arms inspections were still working without hindrance.

British Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien told BBC Radio that Paris had frustrated the drive to disarm Iraq. "The damage done by this threat of a French veto to the whole diplomatic process has been enormous," he said.

But the French clearly thought Chirac was on the right path, with the latest Sofres poll showing his popular support soaring to 86 percent because of his defiance of U.S. pressure for war.