Gulf grows wider between Anglo-US axis and doves over looming Iraqi war

THE gulf between the Anglo-American axis and hitherto close allies over the looming war in Iraq grew wider yesterday despite attempts to cool down the festering feud.

President George Bush’s spokesman last night acknowledged the divisions among European allies.

“The president respects those nations but Europe is not a monolith. European governments represent many different points of view. The president is confident that, if the call is made, that Europe will answer the call,” Ari Fleischer said.

Mr Bush phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin seeking support, but it was not forthcoming. Instead, Mr Putin is aligned with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder who said yesterday he sees “growing support” in Europe for opposition to war in Iraq.

After closing ranks with France, Mr Schroeder conferred with Mr Putin, agreeing that UN weapons inspectors must be given the time they need to complete their mission and that efforts to disarm Iraq peacefully must be exhausted.

“I will not give up this basic position,” Mr Schroeder said last night. Mr Schroeder has ruled out voting for war in the UN Security Council, which Germany joined this month, or sending combat troops to Iraq.

“There will be no participation in a war, direct or indirect,” he said.

The head of the UN nuclear agency will tell the Security Council next week that his inspectors need more time in Iraq, but that Saddam Hussein gets generally good grades for his co-operation, an agency spokesman said last night.

International Atomic Energy Agency director Mohamed ElBaradei, due to brief the council in New York on Monday along with chief UN inspector Hans Blix, will give Iraq “quite satisfactory” grades despite the need for improvement, Mark Gwozdecky said.

“Their report card will be a B,” he said. NATO ally Turkey has shown no sympathy for the hawkish stance taken by London and Washington.

Chief of Defence staff Admiral Michael Boyce was cold-shouldered by his Turkish counterpart when he sought to deploy British forces in Turkey in the event of war.

“No to the British,” said the headline in leading newspaper Milliyet. The paper said that the Turkish military had refused to allow British forces to be stationed on its soil.

“Our government has not authorised us to do planning with you,” Milliyet said General Hilmi Ozkok told Admiral Boyce during their meeting in Ankara.

Backed by Britain, Washington this week has shown growing impatience with the inspection process in Iraq, massing troops in the Persian Gulf region ahead of the key report by Mr Blix.

Amid resistance in some quarters to the use of military force against Baghdad, Mr Fleischer said Saddam’s conduct will make “the end of the line come even closer. His refusal is further evidence that Iraq has something to hide.”