Australia lashes EU over lack of action on Iraq crisis

SYDNEY (AFP) Apr 16, 2003
Australia lashed out Wednesday at the European Union over its failure to act decisively against Iraq, warning it must unite against terrorism and rogue nations or risk permanently damaging international security.

In a scathing attack on EU member nations, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said splits within the EU on Iraq had seriously damaged Europe's relations with the United States and dealt a blow to its own unity.

Downer said in a speech at the Australian National University in Canberra that the opposition of France and Germany to take tough action against Iraq had opened serious divisions within the EU.

He was expected to deliver a similar message later Wednesday at a closed Australia-European Commission ministerial meeting in Melbourne attended by, among others, EU Commissioner for external relations, Chris Patten,

Other EU member nations like Spain and Italy, had supported the US-led war in Iraq, along with Australia, which committed military forces to the conflict.

Downer said the EU would need to show a greater willingness to help ensure international security when the union expanded from the current 15 member nations to 25 next year.

"A fundamental challenge to an EU with 25 members will be to demonstrate to its own citizens, and to others, that it has the capacity to fulfil its responsibilities to undertake meaningful collective action outside the European theatre," he said.

"While sharing the goal of disarming Saddam Hussein, several EU countries seemed prepared to abandon longstanding security partnerships with the US, doing great collateral damage to the Security Council in the process."

Downer said even former NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana, currently EU security representative, had talked of the threat to global security of any continuing rift with the United States.

"The EU's stance on Iraq also delivered a deep blow to the confidence of third countries in European like-mindedness and partnership on security issues," he said.

Downer said he did not believe the internal division on Iraq would end the push for a common EU security pact.

"But there is a danger that if an EU-15 cannot deliver as a global actor then an EU-25 may not prove any more united as a force in international affairs," he said.

However, he believed the EU could begin repairing its international image if it took a meaningful role in the post-war reconstruction in Iraq.

SPACE.WIRE