International   

Berlin summit to seek common approach to Iraq

By Batuk Gathani

BRUSSELS SEPT. 18. Three European leaders are meeting in Berlin on Sunday to narrow the divide with America over Iraq. The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and the French President, Jacques Chirac, are attending the summit being hosted by the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder.

In an interview to the Wall Street Journal today, Mr. Schroeder said Germany was ready to help the U.S. to rebuild Iraq "irrespective of the United Nations resolution now being negotiated in New York.

"Those who favoured war — and that does not mean just the U.S. — but also Britain and other European countries (Spain and Italy) as well as those who, for considerable reasons opposed it, must now accept their common responsibility.'' The comments "mark a potential for breakthrough in trans-Atlantic relations," analysts said.

The German Chancellor has been an avid critic of the U.S.-initiated war in Iraq.

A Minister then even compared the U.S. President, George Bush's policies with those of Hitler. Observers also note that Mr. Schroeder and Mr. Bush have rarely spoken with each other since.

A German diplomat today described Mr. Schroeder's remarks as a "mating dance'' between two leaders , that will culminate in a meeting on Tuesday in New York.

Meanwhile, the Saturday's talks are aimed at seeking consensus on Iraq. As the three leaders try to break the deadlock over a U.N. resolution on Iraq, they will also consider ways and means to divide and spread military and financial costs of the proposed programme of economic reconstruction in Iraq.

Germany and France will back the U.N. resolution on Iraq if there is a "big role for the U.N." and an Anglo-American commitment to transfer authority to a sovereign and democratically elected Iraqi administration.

A German Government statement said: "The meeting will serve to reach common ground on foreign policy after the differing views, that arose before the Iraq war." The French and German diplomats have said that all initiatives on Iraq should be within ther parametres of the U.N. authority. Since the Iraq war, Britain has continued to support American control in Iraq but in recent days the British government has been more receptive to seek UN Security Council authorization for postwar reconstruction in Iraq. Both France and Germany have called for "speedy transition" to Iraqi rule with a provisional Iraqi government in place within a month, a draft constitution by the end of the year and elections before the second half of next year.It remains to be what consensus, if any emerges at the Berlin summit but European diplomats are impressed with ''growing flexibility'' on both sides of the trans-Atlantic and Euro-American divide.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Entertainment | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Saddam not linked to 9/11, says Bush
• Troops: U.S. offers debt relief to Pak.
• Blix attacks U.K. Govt. over Iraq dossier
• LTTE counter-proposals by mid-Oct.
• Indian, Russian MPs to step up contacts
• Berlin summit to seek common approach to Iraq
• Khaleda against India linking rivers
• PM recalls Tagore's stay at Istanbul
• India enhances 'connectivity' with ASEAN

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu