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BRUSSELS, Aug 7: The European Union on Wednesday stressed the need to exhaust diplomatic channels before resorting to military action against Iraq.
But while the 15-nation EU refused to comment officially on US preparations to topple the regime in Baghdad, several EU diplomats said the US administration was divided over the issue and was unlikely to be able to launch a military offensive before next year.
“The EU supports the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General, who has been mandated by the Security Council to pursue diplomatic efforts,” a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said.
“Everyone at the EU agrees that we must pursue diplomatic efforts as far as possible before deciding on military action,” agreed one diplomat, who wished to remain anonymous.
He stressed the importance of safeguarding the troubled Middle East region from further unrest.
Several EU diplomats also stressed the “lack of consensus” within the US administration about how to tackle Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
“It’s people who want to influence the decision one way or the other are putting out this sort of information,” said one diplomat, referring to leaks describing scenarios for a US attack.
But he said military action was unfeasible in the immediate future and was likely, if it took place, to happen next year.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, refused to comment on the “hypothetical question” of military action against Iraq.
And the Council of Ministers, the EU’s top decision-making body, dismissed talk of a US attack on Iraq as “advanced speculation”.
A Council spokesman said the EU position was clear: “Iraq must satisfy all the obligations fixed by the United Nations resolutions concerning it ... such as allowing weapons inspectors to travel freely within its territory,” he said.
IRAQI PARLIAMENT: In its second special session in a month, the Iraqi parliament renewed on Wednesday its invitation to the US Congress to send a fact-finding team to Baghdad to check if Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction.
Speaker Saadun Hammadi said US accusations that Iraq was producing and developing prohibited arms were “used to justify threats against Iraq, its regime and its leader.”
These accusations were being repeated by certain members of Congress for “biased political motives,” Hammadi said.
“The allegations are baseless and the fact that they are repeated and surrounded by media uproar changes nothing,” he said.
The invitation Baghdad extended to US Congress leaders on Monday, which was instantly snubbed by the White House, was a “real chance to check the situation on the ground and make an opinion for themselves,” Hammadi said.
The speaker added that the parliament “supports all measures which have been and will be taken (by the government) to defend the country.”
US “threats, which scare no one in Iraq, are bound to fail,” he said.
Several MPs took to the floor during the parliamentary session to express their support for Saddam and their rejection of US threats.—AFP
