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By Vaiju Naravane
At a time when the United States is desperately seeking to split voices within the European Union in a bid to get at least a few major E.U. nations on its side over plans to attack Iraq, there is every likelihood that Governments in Italy and Spain break ranks in support of Washington. European heavyweights like France and Germany have spoken out against a unilateral invasion of Iraq, stressing the need for full consultation within the framework of the United Nations Security Council. Britain has shifted its position from one of total support to the U.S. to that of a proposed U.N. deadline for the return of arms inspectors to Iraq. Italy and Spain, headed by hard-line conservative Prime Ministers, Silvio Berlusconi, and Jose Maria Azanar, are likely to favour strikes by Washington. In a major foreign policy speech on Thursday, the French President, Jacques Chirac, said, "The emergence of a temptation to legitimise unilateral and preventive use of force'' was a "worrying'' development. He said this was contrary to France's vision of collective security which is based on cooperation between states, the respect of law and the authority of the U.N. Security Council. "We shall evoke these rules when necessary and notably in connection with Iraq. If Baghdad stubbornly refuses the return of inspectors, the Security Council, and it alone should decide what measures to take.'' However, Mr Chirac's Foreign Minister and confident, Dominique de Villepin, softened France's earlier stance on U.S. action against Iraq by saying Saddam Hussein's defiance of the international community was "indefensible''. He said, "We Europeans know too well the price of weakness in the face of dictators if we close our eyes and accept to play a game of passivity. We should therefore maintain with the greatest firmness our demand for the unconditional return of U.N. inspectors.'' France is, therefore, keeping its options open, reassuring Arab, north African and West Asian countries with which it has traditionally cordial ties, while telling Washington it shares U.S. fears about terrorism and the threats posed by Iraq. That leaves Germany exposed as far as Washington is concerned, with the Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, the only E.U. leader to stick his neck out in opposition to U.S. plans. He insisted Germany would not be party to such an attack "at least not under my leadership.'' The German Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer, said, "We believe a regime change brought about by military intervention to be highly risky and its consequences unclear.'' The Foreign Ministers' meeting is also likely to see further European disunity over the International Criminal Court with Britain and Italy likely to sign bilateral agreements with the U.S. to the effect that they will not prosecute U.S. peace-keepers for war crimes or human rights abuses. The U.S. has already obtained such bilateral agreements from Israel, East Timor and Romania.
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