France has reiterated its criticism of the US-led war in Iraq and will not send troops to the country, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier has said. "As everyone knows, France did not approve of the conditions in which the conflict was unleashed. Neither today nor tomorrow will it commit itself militarily in Iraq," Barnier told the UN General Assembly on Thursday. "In Iraq, violence is exploding. Only when the Iraqis themselves take control of their future ... will the country be able to escape the chaos which could destabilise the entire region," Barnier said. **Dedicated force*** The United States and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan have both called for troops to be sent to Iraq, in particular for a dedicated force to protect UN personnel helping to prepare for elections by the end of January 2005. But France, one of the harshest critics of the war that brought down Saddam Hussein, has repeatedly ruled out any military participation in Iraq. "However, it reaffirms its willingness, with its European partners, to assist the Iraqi people in rebuilding their country and restoring their institutions," he said. **Annan's 'illegal' remark*** In an interview with BBC on Wednesday, Annan also expressed fears that holding credible elections in Iraq might not be possible as planned in January 2005, in view of the escalating violence. "I am one of those who believe that there should have been a second resolution from the UN Security Council to green-light the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime," Annan said. "I have indicated that it was not in conformity with the UN charter from our point of view, and from the charter point of view it was illegal," he said. France expressed support of Annan's position, but the US and UK government's expressed strong opposition to the Secretary General's remarks. **PHOTO CAPTION*** French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier. (Al-Jazeera)