BRUSSELS, Feb 17: European Union leaders meeting for talks on Iraq were struggling on Monday to overcome differences on US calls for military action against Baghdad.
Diplomats said a NATO deal on Sunday night on bolstering Turkey’s defences in case of a war on Iraq had lifted some of the gloom at the EU summit and leaders of the 15-nation bloc could perhaps jointly warn Baghdad that military action could be a “last resort” to ensure disarmament.
“I think everybody recognises that war is the last resort,” EU security chief Javier Solana told reporters. “War may be necessary at a given moment but we are not at this point,” said Solana, adding that diplomacy must still be given a chance.
“We have proven that inside NATO we have been able to take a common position on a very delicate issue,” said Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel. He said EU leaders could rally around a series of key points including swift action to force Iraq to get rid of its alleged arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and continuing arms inspections with maximum pressure on Baghdad. If all this failed, the EU should not rule out military action as a “final resort,” he said.
EU leaders may, however, face hours of tough bargaining on forging a joint response to the Iraq crisis. Britain, Spain and Italy, which enthusiastically espouse Washington’s hardline on Iraq, are expected to press for a stronger EU text. But France, Germany and Belgium continue to favour a more cautious stance.
“Time is running out,” said British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, adding that diplomacy had to be backed by force “and if necessary and appropriate that force will have to be used.”
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is expected to reaffirm that he rejects a war in Iraq under any circumstances. French President Jacques Chirac also opposes immediate military action but has been careful not to rule out war if Iraq fails to comply with inspectors.
Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, whose country currently holds the EU rotating presidency, has warned that not too much should be expected of the one-day summit which was hastily arranged last week in a bid to paper over cracks in Europe’s response to the Iraq crisis.
But EU leaders are determined to try and erase impressions that the bloc is unable to speak with one voice on Iraq. EU diplomats are also fretting over the widening rift in transatlantic relations and fear that a war on Iraq could fuel more tensions in the Middle East.
EU leaders were meeting after NATO diplomats defused a separate crisis on Sunday to allow alliance planning to help Turkey in the event of a US-led war against Iraq. Turkey is the only NATO country which has a common border with Iraq.
France, Germany and Belgium had opposed pre-war contingency measures for Turkey. But using a diplomatic trick, agreement was found at NATO’s military planning committee of which France is not a member.
AFP adds: UN chief Kofi Annan voiced concern on Monday at transatlantic tensions over the Iraq crisis, saying the legitimacy of any action would be impaired without a united international position.
He said the focus must remain on forcing Iraq to disarm.
“It is important that we focus on that principle task and avoid the tendency of turning on each other,” he said.
“If the international community fails to agree on a common position and action is taken without the authority of the Security Council, then the legitimacy and the support for that action will be seriously impaired,” Mr Annan told reporters after addressing an EU summit.