March 26, 2003	Wednesday	Muharram 22, 1424

PARIS, March 25: French President Jacques Chirac has sought Pope John Paul’s intercession to stop the US invasion of Iraq.

In a letter to the Pope, contents of which were released to the media on Monday, Mr Chirac stressed the need for a global conference on the Middle East, especially in the context of the Iraq issue.

A French foreign ministry spokesman was asked whether Mr Chirac had received any reaction on the proposal from the United States or Great Britain. He replied he presumed that the idea was supported by the two countries.

“The British and the Americans have supported the work of the Quartet (contact group on the Middle East)” and that the “proposal (for an international conference) is contained in their road map”, he added.