Following Secretary of State Colin Powell’s speech to the UN on February 5, 2003, accusing Iraq of hiding weapons of mass destruction, the reactions of European leaders surprised the White House. French Prime Minister Jacques “Chirac, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, and [German President Hans] Schroeder issued a strong joint statement…[on February 10, 2003] calling for extended weapons inspections [in Iraq by the UN]. ‘Nothing today justifies war,’ Chirac said. ‘Russia, Germany and France are determined to ensure that everything possible is done to disarm Iraq peacefully.’ ”
– Bob Woodward, Plan of Attack, Page 315