This sounded rather magnanimous:

In a surprise move, [France's U.N. ambassador, Jean-Marc de La Sabliere] on Tuesday proposed immediately suspending U.N. sanctions targeting Iraqi civilians, an important step toward the U.S. goal of ending trade embargoes that have crippled the country's economy.

... until I read this:

France's de La Sabliere said he also proposed that the council phase out the oil-for-food program, which allowed Iraq to sell unlimited quantities of oil provided the money went for humanitarian goods and compensation to victims of the first Gulf War.

I may be alone in this, but it just seems like France is more interested in worming their way back into the Iraqi economy than helping the newly-liberated people. What's the immediate need to stop the oil-for-food program? Though I agree that it should eventually go, I get the impression that someone's trying to resume shipments of banned items -- not that it apparently stopped them before.