PARIS, March 9: In an eleventh-hour effort to give France the possibility of not having to use its veto in the upcoming vote on a US pro-war resolution, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin will be heading shortly to Africa to meet with leaders of Angola, Cameroon and Guinea, non-permanent members of the Security Council, and whose votes are considered as pivotal on the question of whether the US resolution gets approved or not.

The decision was taken at the last minute. Quai d’Orsay spokesman Bernard Valero apologised to journalists at Friday’s press briefing for the visit not appearing in the minister’s official schedule for the coming week.

Asked what the minister would be discussing with the leaders of the three countries, the first two being former colonies of Africa, the third a country with close economic ties with France, all that Mr Valero would say was that “he plans to discuss world affairs in general, and among them obviously Iraq.”