LONDON, Jan 7: Britain called up reserve forces on Tuesday for a possible invasion of Iraq and earmarked naval ships for the Gulf, but insisted military action was not a foregone conclusion.

In Paris, French President Jacques Chirac told soldiers to be prepared for “anything that may happen” in the year ahead, but warned Washington any potential decision to use force must be agreed by the United Nations Security Council.

British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon told parliament about 1,500 reservists would initially be mobilized, but more would be called up if necessary.

He said a naval task force already preparing to go to the Gulf would be beefed up with a number of extra ships later this month.

But he joined the chorus of British ministers who have insisted, on and off the record, that an attack on Iraq is not inevitable.

“This does not mean that a decision has been taken to commit British forces to such operations,” he said. “But it is an essential enabling measure to ensure that if such operations become necessary they will be properly supported.”

One minister said he saw little justification for a military campaign yet and said Blair’s cabinet was of the same view.

“Not even Tony Blair would go to war tomorrow just because George Bush told him,” he said. But opinion would swing the other way if U.N. inspectors found evidence Iraq had been concealing weapons of mass destruction, as Washington and London allege.

The inspectors must report their findings to the U.N. Security Council by Jan 27.—Reuters

Our correspondent in Paris adds: During his New year’s wishes today to France’s military hierarchy, President Jacques Chirac went one step further towards approving a possible French intervention in Iraq as he told his military brass that “whatever happened”, they should “make themselves ready to play a possible role” in an eventual French participation in a US-led allied effort against Saddam Hussein.

Mr Chirac did stress, however, as he has done repeatedly these past several weeks, that “only the United Nations Security Council can take a final decision on the use of force against Iraq,” and that France planned to stick by its position, even if the United States should decide to unilaterally invade Iraq without the prior authorization of the United Nations Security Council, of which France is the current president through January 31st, at which time it will be replaced by Germany whose Chancellor Gerhard Schroder has just agreed with President Chirac to closely coordinate their positions about European participation in a US-led attack on Iraq.

Already a few days ago, the French naval chief of staff had publicly announced that the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier would be ready to take part in an allied effort as of late January, and that in order to do so, the carrier had postponed until later this year a visit to drydock where it was to have undergone repair and maintenance operations.

The Charles de Gaulle had previously taken part in a maritime control exercise in the Indian Ocean, and had returned to France last summer.