On the evening of March 11, 2003, President Jiang Zemin held a phone conversation with French President Jacques Chirac. Chirac reiterated France's stance on the Iraq issue, stressing that France cannot accept an ultimatum authorizing the use of force.

Jiang said China has been paying close attention to the development of the Iraq situation. The new report submitted by two UN institutions several days ago indicated that nuclear inspections had made progress. China’s stand has not changed. The nuclear inspections should be carried on and the Iraq issue should be settled by political means within the framework of the United Nations. At present, it is unnecessary to have a new resolution.