Chirac (C) shakes hands with Blix (R) ElBaradei (L) after their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris

PARIS, January 17 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - French President Jacques Chirac on Friday, January 17, warned the United States against taking unilateral action against Baghdad, insisting that any decision on the use of force be taken by the UN Security Council, as Turkey said that its support for a possible U.S.-led attack on Iraq would be limited even if the UN authorized military action.

"Only the Security Council can assess the reports and requests of the inspectors," the French president said, adding that any nation which acts on its own would "not be complying with international rules," he said following talks Friday with chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix and the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

"War is always a sign of failure and the worst solution," he added, making reference to "human costs that are difficult to justify" as well as the political and economic fallout from such a conflict,” he added.

Chirac also backed calls to give UN arms experts more time to work in Iraq, expressing that he has "full confidence" in the inspectors.

"We have to give them the time they need," the French leader told a joint press conference. "The inspectors have asked for more time. Wisdom requires us to grant this request."

Chirac's plea to extend the timetable comes just 10 days before Blix and ElBaradei present the UN Security Council with a report on Iraq on January 27.

Washington has been pushing to hold the arms inspections to a tight timetable, amid speculation that it could decide to unilaterally launch a war in February.

But the European Union is divided on the threat of war, from Germany vowing to vote against military action within the Security Council to Britain sending troops to the Gulf, alongside the massive U.S. military buildup in the region, AFP said.

Chirac, who has repeatedly advised against a hasty war, echoed calls from Blix and ElBaradei for better cooperation from Baghdad, saying the international community needed "indisputable evidence of active cooperation".

Turkey says support for U.S. has limits

In Ankara,  NATO member Turkey said Friday that its support for a possible U.S.-led operation against Iraq would be limited even if the UN authorized military action, AFP said.

"The support Turkey would give to a possible operation on condition that the principles of international legitimacy and consensus are met has limits," presidential spokesman Tacan Ildem told reporters after a meeting of the country's leadership on Iraq.

"These limits stem from Turkey's historical ties with Iraq and its people and its role and position in the region," he added.

Ankara is under pressure from Washington to allow U.S. troops to use Turkish air bases and other military facilities for a possible intervention against neighboring Iraq and to agree to the deployment of U.S. soldiers on its soil.

Britain ‘not rushing to judgment’

Britain, Washington closest ally, remained cautious on Friday about the discovery of the empty warheads, with Foreign Office minister Mike O'Brien telling BBC radio that there would be "no rush to judgment" as Prime Minister Tony Blair was set to press for more details at an afternoon meeting with  Blix.

Blix wants "more explanations" from Baghdad

Blix told reporters: "We feel that we need a more sincere and more proactive cooperation from the Iraqi side."

He said he wanted "to have more explanations" from Baghdad about empty chemical warheads found Thursday.

Blix was speaking in Paris one day after his inspectors found 11 empty chemical warheads at an Iraqi munitions dump.

The Iraqis said the find was not linked to any prohibited weapons, adding that chemical munitions were one of the areas of omission in Baghdad's December arms declaration.

At a press conference alongside French President Jacques Chirac, Blix said that he “was not certain” about whether the warheads were listed in the declaration.

Premature to decide on Iraq chemical warheads find: IAEA

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the UN's nuclear agency said Friday that it was premature to decide on the significance of 11 empty chemical warheads discovered at a munitions dump in Iraq.

"It's a bit premature to decide on how significant it is," Mark Gwozdecky, spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told BBC radio.

"It is a highly technical matter. You cannot decide on this sort of issue at a glance. It requires study and researching.

"It's one of the reasons why both my boss (IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei) and (chief UN arms inspector Hans) Blix have been asking for more time to come to a credible set of conclusions that we can stand behind and be confident in."