ATHENS, April 16: French President Jacques Chirac said on Wednesday the European Union planned to organize an airlift to allow wounded Iraqis, especially children, to receive medical treatment in Europe.

Chirac said the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, would arrange the airlift “as quickly as possible” in cooperation with “the occupying powers” — the United States and Britain.

Speaking after an EU summit in Athens, Chirac said he had discussed the idea with British Prime Minister Tony Blair who was “in favour of this initiative”.

The airlift would cover Iraqis wounded in the US-British war, notably children, who “need treatment which can only be found in our countries”, the president said.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said he backed the idea.

“We are also prepared — as long as it’s operationally possible and it corresponds with our resources — to offer aid with medical treatment,” he said.

“I always said that if it comes to using our resources to, say, fly to Germany seriously injured children who cannot be treated there, we’ll do it.”—AFP