EU gives Iraq 'last chance' warning

European leaders have warned Iraq that it faced a “last chance” to disarm peacefully.

In a strongly worded declaration last night, EU leaders also affirmed solidarity with the US.

“Baghdad should have no illusions. ... The Iraqi regime alone will be responsible for the consequences if it continues to flout the will of the international community,” 15 EU leaders said in a joint declaration.

The leaders gave strong backing for the US and British demand for swift action to disarm Iraq, giving the American military build-up in the Gulf credit for forcing Saddam Hussein to work with UN weapons inspectors.

The final declaration demanded Iraq’s immediate compliance with demands to fully disarm without setting a deadline, EU External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten said.

However, it did not contain the phrase, pushed by Britain, that “time is running out”.

“That was not acceptable for us,” said German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.

Earlier the summit appeared to be heading for a split after France declared it would block any early move to war.

With the division undermining EU unity and its ability to speak with a single voice, Britain and France offered starkly different views, with London calling for a swift deadline for action and Paris insisting on more time to peacefully disarm Iraq.

President Jacques Chirac said France would oppose any effort to draft a new UN resolution authorising war at this time. France, Germany and others say Iraq can be disarmed peacefully and must be given time.

“There is no need for a second resolution today, which France would have no choice but to oppose,” said Mr Chirac. France has a veto on the UN Security Council.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said time was running out and the EU must set limits on how much longer it will allow Iraq to remain defiant.

“I think most people understand ... if that (disarming) cannot be done peacefully, it must be done by force,” Mr Blair said.

“That’s why we require a timetable.”

The US says it may seek a second UN resolution authorising force against Iraq, but it is not indispensable. Mr Blair, who faces strong domestic opposition to war, wants a second resolution, but also says it is not strictly necessary.

European parliamentary leaders, who met with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan before he entered the summit, said Mr Annan stressed, however, that he did not want the weapons inspections to go on too long.

The split had threatened the EU’s ability to forge a foreign and security policy.

France and others want the EU to be a major power that can counter the US, but most European nations are reluctant to give up control of their foreign policy, especially direct ties with Washington.

France, which has long wanted to regain global power by leading a united Europe, has led the opposition to Washington’s drive for a war on Iraq. Mr Chirac has claimed that he speaks for the people of Europe, over the heads of some of their own governments which back Washington.

“We all know that this is about the matter of Iraq, but it’s also about the matter of Europe,” German foreign minister Joschka Fischer said.

The disunity within Europe was reflected at Nato headquarters, where Belgium, France and Germany had held out for a month against 14 European allies – as well as the US and Canada – over starting defensive measures to protect Turkey in case of an Iraq war. Turkey is the only Nato member that borders Iraq.

Germany and Belgium dropped their objections for a deal late on Sunday, but only after NATO went to its Defence Planning Committee, which does not include France.