GERMANY: Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has delivered a spirited defence of Germany's position on Iraq, saying he believes there is still a chance to peacefully disarm President Saddam Hussein.
The German leader told parliament yesterday that UN resolution 1441 calling on Iraq to disarm "contains nothing automatic as far as military force is concerned but obliges all means of peaceful disarmament to be exhausted".
"We can disarm Iraq without war. To grasp this chance is my responsibility. I do not accept that it is simply about starting a war together with our friends or giving peace a chance without them."
The German leader said the majority of UN Security Council members wanted to give UN weapons inspectors all the time and assistance they needed to do their work.
He said that was justified considering the risk that Iraq would develop weapons of mass destruction. But with no long-range missiles and no nuclear weapons at the moment, Iraq posed less of a threat to world stability than North Korea and international terrorist groups.
He reminded the parliament that the war on international terrorism was "a war not yet won; the threat remains".
Mr Schröder told the Bundestag that Germany's loyalty to the US and its partners in NATO was "not in question". Regarding the current crisis in NATO, he said Turkey would receive all the military equipment it needed to defend itself.
The Chancellor has already ruled out German military participation in any war, and Germany is expected to abstain from a vote on a second resolution dealing with military action in Iraq.
Ms Angela Merkel, leader of the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU), said yesterday that Mr Schröder's decision had weakened the UN weapons inspectors.
"You've made war not more unlikely but more likely," she said. "Because Saddam Hussein will not budge a millimetre if he knows he can do all he wants and we won't draw the consequences."
Mr Joschka Fischer, the Foreign Minister, said military action in Iraq "would be one of the most military actions in recent years".
In a passionate speech, he said he could not understand how events had shifted from September 11th to Iraq. "To this day, I have heard no convincing answer," said Mr Fischer. "Is Iraq any more dangerous than a year ago or at the time of the Gulf War? If not, why should we begin a war?"
Mr Fischer held talks yesterday with the Foreign Minister, Mr Cowen, before departing for New York to chair today's Security Council meeting. "We both agree that everything must be done to disarm Iraq peacefully," said Mr Fischer after the talks.
Mr Cowen said the Government, as one of the countries involved in resolution 1441, understood the responsibility on Mr Fischer and the other countries on the Security Council today.
"The council must spell out what is specifically required of Saddam Hussein to resolve this matter peacefully, what time-scale exists and what are the serious consequences of non-compliance."
He declined to say whether Ireland would give support to a US strike on Iraq without a UN mandate, saying the matter would be debated in the Dáil if it arose.
Mr Cowen expressed understanding for the 20,000-plus marchers expected to gather in Dublin tomorrow to protest against the looming war. "Without a credible threat, the Irish people are opposed to this war. It is their democratic right to express that opinion. Unfortunately, the Iraqi people do not live in such a situation."
