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Europe is not just France and Germany: Rumsfeld

Washington Jan. 23. Playing down French and German opposition to an early attack on Iraq, the U.S. Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, said the U.S. President, George W. Bush, is likely to present "some additional information" on Baghdad's weapons programme and terrorist links if military action was needed.

Europe means not just France and Germany. There are a very large number of countries who have said they are "anxious and ready" to join a "coalition of willing" to disarm Iraq, Mr. Rumsfeld said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Though a good deal of material information had already been presented on an open basis on Iraq's non-compliance with the U.N. resolution, more details might be made public if a military action was necessary, he said.

"If the President decides to use force because of lack of cooperation on the part of Iraq, (he) would very likely present the world some additional information, relating to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, its relationships with terrorist organisations."

On the support for an early attack on Iraq, he said: "Germany has been a problem and France has been a problem. But look at the vast number of other countries in Europe. They are not with France and Germany on this. They are with the U.S."

Explaining why the U.S. was stressing the need to prevent more countries from having weapons of mass destruction, Mr. Rumsfeld said it was not a problem for the U.S. only; it was a problem for the whole world.

PTI

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