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PARIS, Feb 10 (AFP) - France, Russia and Germany on Monday adopted a joint initiative calling for "substantial reinforcement" of weapons inspections in Iraq to disarm and Europe and the United States were also divided over Iraq at NATO.

France, Germany and Belgium vetoed a move to provide NATO support to Turkey ahead of any strikes on Iraq and US President George W. Bush said France had been "short-sighted" in blocking the move.

French President Jacques Chirac read a declaration after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin stating that two nations, along with Germany, agreed that force could only be used as a last resort.

"Russia, Germany and France support the continuation of inspections and their substantial reinforcement by any means in terms of manpower and technical capabilities," the text said.

"There is still an alternative to war. We are sure of it. The use of force could only be a last resort. Russia, Germany and France are determined to give every chance to the disarmament of Iraq through peaceful means."

"Today, nothing justifies a war," Chirac told reporters.

The joint declaration and the NATO veto increased the wedge between the United States and Europe on how to handle the Iraq crisis.

At a NATO meeting in Brussels, France and Belgium, backed by Germany, blocked US demands to launch military planning in support of alliance member Turkey, which borders Iraq.

Turkey invoked a special clause of NATO's founding treaty to secure support, but two emergency sessions did not produce a deal, and new talks were scheduled for Tuesday.

"I am disappointed that France would block NATO from helping a country like Turkey prepare," Bush said in Washington after a meeting with Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

"I don't understand that decision. I think it affects the alliance in a negative way when you're not able to make a statement of mutual defense."

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called the veto a "mistake" and the US ambassador to NATO charged the body was "now facing a crisis of credibility."

But, a French NATO official countered: "We are concerned about the security of Turkey but we do not think that there are immediate measures to take. We don't want to send a bad message at a bad time. We'll continue discussions."

Bush also promised Monday to bring speedy relief to the Iraqi population if war breaks out and accused Saddam of holding his population hostage as US military buildup against the Baghdad regime continued to gather strength.

More than 133,000 troops are now massed in the region, with over 55,000 US troops in Kuwait and 35,000 sailors and marines aboard warships, a defense official in Washington said.

But, Bush told religious broadcasters: "We will try in every way we can to spare innocent life. The people of Iraq are not our enemies."

He said that Saddam was "positioning his military forces within civilian populations in order to shield his military and blame coalition forces for civilian casualties that he has caused. Saddam Hussein regards the Iraqi people as human shields, entirely expendable when their suffering serves his purposes."

Iraq agreed meanwhile to allow unconditional U2 surveillance flights over its territory to back the UN weapons inspectors.

"I sent a message to (chief UN weapons inspector) Hans Blix to inform him that Baghdad unconditionally accepted high altitude flights over Iraq, including those by U2s, Mirages and Antonovs," Iraq's presidential science advisor Amer al-Saadi told Abu Dhabi television.

"I told him that Iraqi authorities would guarantee the safety of the planes and their pilots," Saadi said.

Baghad had been reluctant to authorize the U2 operations on the grounds that it could not guarantee the safety of the flights as long as US and British war planes patrolled "no-fly" zones in the north and south of the country.

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein said the UN arms inspectors faced an "important test" in drafting an upcoming report on whether Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction, warning that arms inspections should not be a pretext to "facilitate" US desires.

Blix and ElBaradei, after reporting progress in Iraqi compliance with UN disarmament demands following a weekend mission, are to present their conclusions to the United Nations Security Council on Friday.

Their report will be critical in determining whether the United States makes good on its threat to invade and occupy Iraq to rid it of the banned weapons Washington says it is concealing.

Iraqi authorities have pledged full cooperation with the UN inspection operation and insist the country is free of weapons of mass destruction.

European stock markets fell on Monday as mounting war worries and spiking oil prices further depressed investor confidence. 

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