HYDERABAD, Sept 17: The representative of Hanns Seidel Foundation, Islamabad, Dr Andreas Rieck, has said in the months preceding the invasion of Iraq, deep political cleavages between the US and some European countries existed which came out in the open at the time of the attack.

He was delivering a lecture on “US and European Security in the Post-Cold War Era” at a one-day workshop organized by the University of Sindh in collaboration with the Hanns Seidel Foundation here on Tuesday.

He said most of the European countries, specially France and Germany, opposed the pre-emptive strike against Iraq and even in countries where governments backed the attack, such as Britain, Spain and Italy, public opinion was manifested in huge protest demonstrations.

Dr Rieck said there was a widespread impression that the European Union was emerging as a global counter-force to the US.

Prof Werner Link, Emeritus Kolen University, Germany, speaking on “Post-Iraq War Transatlantic Relationship”, said on the one hand Europe and America were partners to fight terrorism and on the other, Germany and France had refused to accept the US hegemony.

Dr Ross Masood Hussain said there was a diversity of perceptions between Europe and the US. He was referring to the US stand on the Kyoto Protocol and the International Criminal Court.