"It's incredible to throw so much power into a war while hinting that the whole thing had been worked out in advance, when in fact it appears that things aren't so clear," Michel told the French-language newspaper La Libre Belgique.

Michel also denounced the widely different explanations given by the United States for invading Iraq on March 20, in an onslaught that failed to win the backing of the United Nations.

"First it was disarmament. Then it was liberating the Iraqis. Along the way, there was an attempt to show that the whole thing would solve the Middle East problem," he said.

On the real reasons for the war, the Belgian minister said he thought the United States was seeking to show that it could still hit back after the September 11 attacks.

"The real reason for this war is probably the desire of the United States to show that they still have a credible power of dissuasion. Striking Iraq to make an example of it," he said.

The statements came as Michel's opposite number from the United States, Secretary of State Colin Powell, was due to leave Washington for Europe, travelling to Belgium after a visit to Turkey.

All the European Union's foreign ministers will be in Brussels on Thursday to meet with Powell, the Greek EU presidency said on Tuesday.

SPACE.WIRE