France and Russia stand firm in demanding the UN route
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.America should not take any action against Iraq without the consent of the United Nations. That is the view from continental Europe, where the German government is flatly refusing to provide troops for a military escalation.
But while the German government is the angriest about the US attitude – Chancellor Gerhard Schröder says George Bush should consult its allies on whether, not just when, any action is undertaken – the voices that will actually be heeded in Washington are those in Paris and Moscow.
If the US does decide to give President Saddam Hussein one last chance to readmit the UN weapons inspectors before launching military strikes, the decision-taking will be back in the UN Security Council, where France and Russia are permanent members. This means that the two long-time allies of Iraq, along with China, would be able to block any US invasion plans presented to the 15-member council.
Small wonder, then, that the hawks in the Bush administration are wondering aloud about the point of returning the UN weapons inspectors to Iraq.
The French President, Jacques Chirac, insisted on Thursday that the US must pursue its Iraq policy through the UN. "Unilateral and preemptive" action, he said, would undermine international law. But he did not say how France might vote if President Saddam continues to deny admission to weapons inspectors.
Moscow, which like France is owed billions of dollars by Iraq from before the Gulf War, believes the Iraqi regime has in effect been disarmed and that UN sanctions should be lifted. But although Russia was reported 10 days ago to be close to signing a $40bn (£26bn) trade deal with Iraq, the Kremlin has been careful to continue to abide by the sanctions while they are still in force.
EU foreign ministers will discuss the Iraq crisis at an informal meeting in Denmark today. But the EU has never had a common position on Iraq and the ministers are likely to avoid any public airing of their diverging opinions.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments