LONDON, Jan 30: Eight European nations threw their support behind US war plans for Iraq on Thursday, leaving Europe divided as the United States warned there were “weeks not months” left to find a diplomatic solution to the standoff.

In an apparent backing of US insistence that opposition from heavyweights France and Germany was a legacy of the “old Europe”, the eight distanced themselves from Paris and Berlin to give a boost to Washington’s campaign.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Spanish counterpart, Jose Maria Aznar, led the eight in signing an open letter, published in newspapers across the continent, calling for a tough line against Iraq.

Mr Blair met Mr Aznar in Madrid on Thursday before heading for talks with US President George Bush at the presidential retreat of Camp David, armed with the letter of support from his fellow European leaders.

“The president is using this window now to engage in very busy and active diplomacy. This will take place in a period of weeks, not months,” warned White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

The letter from the eight European leadres said: “We must remain united in insisting that his regime is disarmed. The solidarity, cohesion and determination of the international community are our best hope of achieving this peacefully.”

“The real bond between the United States and Europe is the values we share... Our strength lies in unity,” said the letter signed by Blair, Aznar and the heads of Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Poland, Denmark and the Czech Republic.

In Berlin, officials insisted it was “plain wrong” to describe the Germans as isolated and France said that all of Europe agreed on the need to enforce UN resolutions while urging weapons inspectors be given more time.

But Russia, which wields veto power in the UN Security Council, warned that the aim of the United Nations was to disarm Iraq and not oust President Saddam.

“The objective on Iraq is stated in the Security Council resolution — they should not have arms of mass destruction nor the means to produce them. This is the main problem,” Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said during a visit to Sofia.

“Some countries link the issue of weapons of mass destruction to a regime change in Iraq. But this goes against the resolution,” he said.

In Greece, which has joined France and Germany in criticizing the war plans of Mr Bush, a foreign ministry spokesman said the Greek EU presidency had not even been informed in advance about the letter.

“We were not invited to sign that letter,” the spokesman said, while Prime Minister Costas Simitis said the letter did not help attempts to create a common EU position on the crisis.

The European parliament passed a resolution by a vote of 287 to 209 opposing any unilateral military action against Iraq.

EU Chief slams “gang of eight”: Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, current president of the European Union, on Thursday criticized eight fellow leaders for a declaration on Iraq which he said was at odds with the EU’s drive for a common position.

The joint letter, signed by eight European leaders backing the United States over the crisis with Iraq, had highlighted and brought into the open the EU’s divisions on the issue.

“The way in which the initiative on the issue of Iraq was expressed does not contribute to the common approach to the problem,” Simitis said in a statement in his role as EU president. “The EU aims to have a common foreign policy so on Iraq there is a need for coordination.”—AFP/Reuters