January 29, 2003 5:22 p.m. EST
Europe Leaders Call for Unity
With U.S. on Its Iraq Policy
Public Letter From Eight Leaders Highlights
Growing Rift Between U.S.'s European Allies
By MARC CHAMPION
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
LONDON -- In a letter to be published in Thursday's Wall Street Journal, eight European leaders call for unity with the U.S. in its policy of stripping Iraq of weapons of mass destruction.
The letter -- signed by the leaders of Spain, Britain, Italy, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Portugal -- highlights the deep rift among America's allies in Europe. The letter, which was written for The Wall Street Journal and then distributed to some other European newspapers, comes in the wake of public rebukes of U.S. policy delivered by France and Germany.
Those disputes have been widely characterized as pitting the U.S. against Europe as a whole, prompting some to question the long-term future of the transatlantic alliance. Today's joint comment appears to leave France and Germany isolated, rather than the U.S.
The signatories also mirror the distinction that U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld made in his dismissal of France and Germany last week as "old Europe." Mr. Rumsfeld contrasted these "problem" countries, with a "new Europe" that includes U.S. allies among the former Soviet bloc countries and is more supportive of U.S. policy on Iraq. Mr. Rumsfeld's characterization drew sharp criticisms from France and Germany.
A spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that France and Germany weren't asked to sign the letter. While the spokesman declined to comment on why they weren't invited, it seems clear that the French and German positions on Iraq were too far apart from the others to make a common approach feasible.
The eight leaders pay tribute to the U.S. role in protecting Europe from Nazism and Communism, and warn that success in battling terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction now depends on "unwavering determination and firm international cohesion." They support the need for tough U.N. action to force Iraq to disarm.
In language that appears to be directed primarily at France, the prime ministers also say: "We are confident that the Security Council will face up to its responsibilities." France -- one of five countries that holds a veto in the U.N. Security Council along with the U.S., Britain, Russia and China --recently said it saw "no justification" for war and hinted that it might use its power of veto to prevent one.
When reached late Wednesday, spokesmen for French President Jacques Chirac and the German foreign ministry said they didn't have time to obtain comment.
The joint communique, however, also reflects a gathering momentum toward accepting the need for military action since Hans Blix, the chief U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq, on Monday gave an unexpectedly harsh progress report on Iraq's cooperation with the inspection process. Mr. Blix said Iraq had failed to show any intent to disarm.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia would be prepared to back tougher Security Council action against Iraq if it failed to cooperate with inspectors, reversing his previously more lenient approach to Iraq. Later Tuesday, U.S. President George W. Bush appeared to have given a further push to skeptical allies in his State of the Union address by offering to provide fresh evidence of Iraq's illicit weapons of mass destruction.
France is in a vital position to determine whether a U.S.-led action to topple Saddam Hussein could win explicit U.N. backing. Of the five permanent Security Council members, the U.S. and Britain have made their commitment clear from the start. China has quietly let it be known that it won't use its veto, while Russia now also appears to be ready to back action if necessary.
Responding Wednesday to the state of the union speech, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said in a television interview that he is "delighted" by Mr. Bush's promise that the U.S. would supply new evidence of Iraq's weapons programs to a session of the U.N. Security Council on Feb. 5. Mr. de Villepin said this was something France has been requesting for weeks and would allow an informed decision on whether war is necessary. "It is, you know, very important that the international community remains unified on this question," Mr. de Villepin said.
Nevertheless, France is among North Atlantic Treaty Organization members blocking a U.S. request to fill in for U.S. troops sent from Europe to the Gulf, and to send surveillance aircraft and Patriot missiles to defend Turkey in the event of war. Already blocked once, the plans didn't make it to the table Wednesday at a meeting of the alliance's policy-making North Atlantic Council, after the 19 allies failed to agree in private talks Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg say they don't oppose the substance of the U.S. proposals, but believe it is too early to start the military planning while there is still hope of avoiding a war through diplomacy and the U.N. weapons-inspections process.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder also welcomed Mr. Bush's promise to produce more evidence that Iraq retains chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. The German leader said such evidence should help give weapons inspectors a "solid foundation" for their work. However, Mr. Schroeder has already ruled out either voting for or participating in military action against Iraq. Germany becomes chairman of the Security Council next month, but as one of the 15 rotating members it won't have a veto.
The initiative to produce the joint letter was driven by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and Britain's Mr. Blair. Mr. Blair flies to Madrid Thursday before moving on to Washington, where he will meet with Mr. Bush at Camp David on Friday to discuss how much more time to allow the weapons inspections process.
Some of the leaders who signed the comment-especially Mr. Blair, who is sending more than 30,000 troops to the Gulf-have a political stake in securing explicit U.N. backing for a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Mr. Blair's policy on Iraq has proved deeply unpopular at home. A poll conducted earlier this month showed that 77% of Britons oppose attacking Iraq without U.N. approval. Many senior members of Mr. Blair's ruling Labour Party also object to any attack without U.N. backing.
Mr. Aznar faces crucial regional and municipal elections on May 25 that are seen as a litmus test for general elections in 2004. In Spain, opposition to a war in Iraq without U.N. backing polls at around 80%. For Spain and other countries, however, the issue could prove less sensitive than in the U.K., as Spanish support of a U.S.-led action would be mainly political rather than military. |
