In spite of the evidence presented by US Secretary of State Colin Powell in the United Nations to prove that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, France has maintained that war should be the last resort.

"There is no change in the French position. We do not want war. We believe there are other ways of destroying the weapons," French premier Jean Pierre Raffarin said on Thursday.

Raffarin is in Bangalore to attend the Aero India show as part his three-day visit to India.

Maintaining that the ongoing inspection of weapons in Iraq should continue, he said, "We ask Iraq to cooperate with UN inspectors."

About Indo-French relations, he said France saw India as a country with great potential and is looking forward to further strengthening economic and cultural ties.