A large part of why the French (and the Germans) are opposing war in the Middle East could be down to the fact that they both have very large Muslim populations -- the French from North Africa, and the Germans have a lot of migrant Turkish workers. Perhaps they're trying not to piss them off?

Interesting theory... So I looked up some statistics. Just for the record, the U.S. has a higher Muslim population than both those countries. 3.5% as opposed to Germany's 3.4% and France's 3% (source). Pakistan (97%), Cameroon (55%), Guinea (95%), Bulgaria (13%), and Angola (25%) are among the countries that are supporting the proposal to set a deadline on Iraq's compliance. I guess the Muslims in those countries are less likely to be "pissed off" than the ones in Germany and France?