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The decision on Monday by France, Germany and Belgium to block a United States request for NATO to start planning for protecting Turkey in the event of a US-led war against Iraq has highlighted the transatlantic dispute on how to handle the Iraq issue.
France and Germany, due to their prominent roles in European and international affairs, have particularly annoyed Washington with their objection to US policy toward Iraq. The two countries have been dubbed "Old Europe" by US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
While France, Germany and Belgium blocked the start of NATO military planning for defending Turkey against any military threat from Iraq in case of a war, France, Germany and Russia issued a joint declaration appealing for a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis by strengthening United Nations (UN) arms inspection efforts.
Over the weekend, the German news magazine Der Spiegel said Berlin and Paris were working on a plan to disarm Iraq by dispatching UN peacekeepers. Although officials of both countries later denied the story, they acknowledged that efforts are being coordinated between the two governments to solve the Iraq issue peacefully.
The so-called "Old Europeans" are opposed to Washington's policy because the US side has not convinced them the necessity to launch a war against Iraq. French President Jacques Chirac said he has so far seen no "irrefutable evidence" proving Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction.
During a security conference held in Munich, Germany, at the weekend, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer doubted the need for the United States to launch a military strike at the moment. After Rumsfeld's presentation of arguments, Fischer said in English: "Excuse me, I am not convinced."
While addressing the conference, Fischer said priority in the global anti-terrorist campaign should be given to stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan and finding a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
He pointed out Iraq was not currently making threats. His speech drew loud applause from officials of European countries attending the conference.
The opposition of "Old Europe" is also rooted in deep concerns. Historically, Europe, particularly Germany and France, have been devastated by wars that have left Europeans with a profound abhorrence of the use of force. Geographically, as Europe is close to the Middle East, waves of refugees displaced by war in the region would quickly reach the European shores.
Economically, a war against Iraq would bring more harm than good to Europe. If the war is protracted, the world economy will suffer, strangling any hope for recovery in Germany and the rest of the European Union.
If the United States succeeds in its Iraq strategy and increases its influence in the Middle East, Europe's economic clout could also suffer since more than 35 percent of its oil consumption comes from the region.
Moreover, Europeans would probably be forced to contribute to the huge cost of post-war reconstruction.
Politically, Europeans are increasingly aware of their role in world affairs. Germany and France, seen as the "motors of European integration," are particularly opposed to Washington's unilateral practice.
It is hard to see how the row between the European countries led by France and Germany and the United States will end. It will largely depend on the US attitude. But the one certain thing is that Europe and the United States are drifting apart.
(China Daily February 13, 2003)
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