Prodi and Patten warn against US unilateralism on Iraq

Date: 13/03/03

By Martin Banks

EUROPEAN Commission President Romano Prodi has warned that any action against Iraq without international approval would be a "serious body blow" to the United Nations and "very, very badly damage" EU-US relations.

Chris Patten, the external relations commissioner, went even further during a speech in the European Parliament yesterday (12 March), arguing that a unilateral attack risked unnecessary death and destruction as well as collateral damage to the authority of the UN and NATO.

Until now, the Commission has avoided speaking out over Iraq because of deep divisions between member states over how to ensure that Saddam Hussein is stripped of his alleged weapons of mass destruction. But with a US-led invasion seemingly just days away, Prodi has signalled that the executive no longer intends to watch silently from the wings as events unfold.

Speaking exclusively to European Voice, the former Italian premier said European citizens had demonstrated their opposition to war on a "spectacular" and"unprecendented" scale and that it was vital for the UN to be the "cornerstone" of world order.

"I personally would not support any US-led military action without UN approval," he added, though he stressed that "however regrettable and damaging such unilateral action might be, I do not think its impact on transatlantic relations would be irreversible".

His comments echoed those by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in The Hague on Monday. He warned that unilateral action would "seriously impair" the authority of the UN.

But it was UK commissioner Patten - until now seen as one of America's strongest allies in Brussels - whose words will have sent shockwaves through the corridors of the Pentagon and Whitehall.

Addressing the Parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg, he said he was "gravely concerned" about the possibility of a war and its effects - particularly on the prospects for peace in the Middle East. He also emphasised how the damaging disagreements between member states had been allowed to overshadow the debate about enlargement.

Patten insisted that any military action required legitimacy which could only be provided by UN backing:

"It is in the interests of the whole world that power should be constrained by global rules, and used only with international agreement. What other source of international legitimacy but the UN exists for military intervention? On what other basis is it possible to address the problem of weapons of mass destruction?"

Patten said he regretted America's refusal to press forward with ratification of the comprehensive test ban treaty and decision to withdraw from the anti-ballistic missile treaty.

"Such decisions, and there have been many, send a dangerous signal about the value that the US places on international commitments. And that, surely, is a critical battle lost in what some call the 'war against terrorism'.

"As a general rule, are wars not more likely to recruit terrorists than to deter them? It is hard to build democracy at the barrel of a gun," he added.

Meanwhile, British MEPs were quick to react to comments by US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Tuesday suggesting that UK forces might not be needed in the event of a US invasion of Iraq.

Although he later back-tracked after furious phone calls from Downing Street, some deputies believe Rumsfeld may have inadvertently provided under-pressure UK premier Tony Blair with a possible 'exit strategy' to bring him more into line with other EU countries which are opposed to war.

Conservative MEP Alexander Stockton, grandson of former premier Harold Macmillan, said: "Rumsfeld's comments have definitely opened up the possibility of Blair finding a way out of his current problems, both domestically and with other EU member states.

"It also raises the possibility of UK forces not participating in any combat fighting as such but taking part essentially in a peacekeeping role after any war. It certainly offers Blair an exit strategy."

Chris Patten said Rumsfeld's remarks were "unwise" and that he felt it unlikely the US would act without involving UK troops.

Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio hinted last night that the US and its allies would now not seek a fresh UN resolution.

Experts suggested that failing to secure the resolution might make any subsequent military action illegal.

European Commission President Romano Prodi has warned that any action against Iraq without international approval would be a 'serious body blow' to the United Nations and 'very, very badly damage' EU-US relations.