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Politics : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (19755)	3/12/2003 1:00:44 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Respond to of 25898

Patten against military action in Iraq without UN mandate CHRIS PATTEN - the external relations Commissioner said: "I geniunely fear the outcome if war in Iraq is followed by another year or more of violence in Palestine and Israel. That would further inflame opinion in the Islamic world" (Photo: EU Commission) EUOBSERVER / STRASBOURG - External relations Commissioner Chris Patten said that if military intervention occurs in Iraq without a UN mandate, the EU might be unwilling to fund reconstruction aid. His statement comes ahead of a possible UN Security Council vote on whether to accept a new resolution, which the US is pushing to have this week. The new resolution would put the deadline for disarmament on Monday 17 March. Commissioner Patten said that military intervention would only be legitimate if there is UN authorisation although he still hopes for a peaceful disarmament through the weapons inspectors. "If it comes to war, it will be very much easier to persuade you – the EU budgetary authority – to be generous if there is no dispute about the legitimacy of the military action that has taken place," he said. The EU is already the largest humanitarian donor in Iraq but in the event of a war, that EU would have to be step up this help. 15 million euro have already been set aside, but it is foreseen that the EU would have to draw also from the budget’s emergency reserve in the event of a war. Commissioner Patten appealed to the EU states to speak with one voice. He said that Common Foreign and Security Policy has suffered a severe setback because "Member States on both sides of the debate have chosen to take firm national policy positions as if they spoke for the European Union as a whole." The Commissioner also spoke of the repercussions a war on Iraq could have on the Middle East peace process. "In the aftermath of a war, will America (the leader of a UN backed operation or a more limited coalition) take a much more proactive role in forging an Israeli-Palestinian peace?" UN Security Council divided EU States in the UN Security Council are split on whether to back the US – urging a second resolution authorising war – or else give more time to weapons inspectors. Nine votes in favour in the 15-member Security Council would mean the resolution is adopted , but one single veto from one of the five permanent members would kill the proposal. While the US, UK, Spain and Bulgaria are in favour of a new resolution, France, Germany, Russia, China and Syria are against. France and Russia have also threatened to use their veto. Given opposition for this second UN resolution, the Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio has not ruled out the possibility that there could be changes in the text. But even if this UN resolution does not give the go ahead for war, the existing 1441 resolution could in itself be read in that way, indicated the British defence secretary Geoff Hoon. On Tuesday, six undecided UN members – Cameroon, Angola, Chile, Guinea, Mexico and Pakistan – suggested a 45-day deadline for Iraq to disarm. Written by Sharon Spiteri Edited by Honor Mahony euobserver.com