EU hammers out Iraq stance

EU hammers out Iraq stance

Petrol bombs were thrown at police

France, Germany, Spain and the UK have been trying to forge a common European Union position on the future of Iraq in Athens.

Their foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the EU accession summit, which took place amid violent anti-war protests on the streets outside.

The UK Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, told the BBC that the ministers had "avoided trying to negotiate texts" on Iraq.

Referring to the bitter arguments that split Europe in the run-up to the Iraq conflict, he stressed that it was first important to create the right "atmosphere," rather than nail down joint declarations.

He said the United Nations would have to play a "vital" role in rebuilding Iraq, but the UK's EU partners would also have to take "full account" of US interests in Iraq.

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In a separate initiative, French President Jacques Chirac announced that the EU would airlift injured Iraqis to European hospitals - a move, he said, which had the backing of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Mr Chirac - an outspoken critic of the war - on Wednesday had his first face-to-face meeting with Mr Blair since the war began on 20 March.

They were not seen to shake hands, but their talks were said by a UK spokesman to have been "perfectly amiable".

Protests

Local reports said the presence of Mr Blair and other pro-war EU prime ministers at the summit incensed the protesters.

"Butchers: Aznar, Blair and Berlusconi" read a white banner splashed with red, which stood out among a sea of red-and-white flags carried by the demonstrators.

Petrol bombs flew and the British Embassy was stoned. Other embassies also came under attack. A banner reading "killers, imperialists" was draped over a British Airways office.

The Greek authorities deployed about 10,000 police, who fired tear gas at some of the estimated 7,000 anti-war and anti-capitalist protesters and made dozens of arrests.

Stabilisation force

In a sign of the tensions beneath the surface at the summit, a reference to Iraq was deleted from the original draft of the declaration issued to mark the accession of the 10 new EU members, Reuters news agency reports.

Police have kept protesters back from summit venue

But up to seven European countries are considering sending troops to join an Iraq peacekeeping force, EU officials said.

The Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said Poland and the three Baltic states - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - had expressed an interest in such a force.

The US has asked Denmark to lead a unit of 3,000 personnel to help stabilise Iraq, Reuters reports.

Airlift

President Chirac told the summit that the EU was planning to organise an airlift to allow wounded Iraqis - especially children - to receive medical treatment in Europe.

Mr Chirac said the European Commission would arrange the airlift as quickly as possible in co-operation with the US and UK.

"We mentioned the possibility of setting up quickly, in the next few days, an airlift to Iraq in accord with the current occupation authorities," he said.

"I suggested the idea to the president of the European Commission, who accepted it. We have to move fast."

UN role

The UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, was also in Athens.

He met national leaders before talks with the foreign ministers of five UN Security Council members - France, Germany, Spain, the UK and Russia.

Mr Chirac's spokeswoman, Catherine Colonna, said a balance needed to be struck between the UN and the coalition forces in Iraq.

"Issue by issue, we have to find the right balance between the role of the United Nations, which must be the essential role, and the American and British forces present on the ground."

Mr Blair said after talks with Mr Annan that they had "agreed on the importance of the role of the United Nations".

"We agree there should be respect for humanitarian issues, but also respect for political and reconstruction issues that arise... I would like to see the United States, ourselves, Europe working in partnership together to make that clear."