Saddam let off the hook

Date: 12/09/1996

Foreign policy is a tricky thing, as the Brussels press corps discovered in Tralee last weekend when EU foreign ministers mulled over Saddam Hussein, US missiles, and the whole vexed question of what the diplomatic response to Iraq should be.

The initial answer came in a communiqué issued by the Irish presidency, helpfully summarising the main points under discussion and the results. Point one: “EU condones Iraqi aggression against safe havens.” This dramatic (E)U-turn was already being analysed by excited journalists when the presidency publicity machine rushed out a substitute version of events. “EU condemns Iraqi aggression against safe havens,” it declared. So that's all right then.