Attack on Saddam perilous due to tension in Middle East, says EU

EU foreign ministers have warned the US against taking military action to topple Saddam Hussain.

It was claimed the conflict between Israel and Palestine must be eased substantially before action could be considered against Iraq.

At a weekend meeting in Elinsore, Denmark, the ministers papered over the cracks in their differing views of Washington’s threats of a military strike against Iraq.

They came up with a position that shifts the focus onto the non-compliance of Iraq with the UN resolution on weapons inspections.

The ministers insisted Saddam must “immediately” let UN inspectors back to ascertain whether or not there are weapons of mass destruction in the country.

However, they left open the possibility of military action sanctioned by the UN Security Council provided it was in the name of enforcing the resolutions as opposed to the US aim of changing the regime.

EU foreign relations chief Javier Solana said ownership of the process must be handed back to the UN.

He said if Saddam does not let weapons inspectors back Security Council members opposed to an attack, such as China and Russia, could change their position and push for a military solution.

The EU is anxious to maintain the fragile balance in the Arab world. A senior diplomat said: “The message to the US will be that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has to be well on the way to a process of solution before anything can be done in Iraq. This is a common position of most of the ministers.”

The spectrum of opinion among the EU countries varied widely. The British, while emphasising weapons inspection should be the first priority, have not come out against the US plans while German foreign minister Joscha Fisher bluntly said an attack on Iraq would be a serious mistake.

Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen reflected the consensus when he said the UN Security Council was the appropriate body to deal with international threats.

Criticising Iraq’s defiant attitude, he said the onus should be put on Saddam to comply with UN resolutions.

“The Iraqi regime can solve this problem tomorrow and we could make real progress on the issue of weapons of mass destruction,” he said.

He said the EU wants a peaceable solution to the problem but no one know how the situation will develop.

“The Security Council should discuss this matter in the future if we are not making progress in dealing with the demands,” he said.