European press review

As Lord Hutton prepares to present his report on the death of the British government scientist who was reported to have questioned the case for war against Iraq, a Swedish and a German paper discuss the British prime minister's political situation.

Papers in Norway and Denmark debate their own countries involvement in Iraq.

Two German dailies attack Berlin's approach to university financing. And a French paper notes the "economic context" of France's current interest in China.

Mr Blair's moment

On the day the Hutton inquiry in Britain presents its report on the death of a British defence scientist, David Kelly, who allegedly questioned the case for war against Iraq, Sweden's Dagens Nyheter considers Prime Minister Tony Blair's position.

"Tony Blair is a politician driven by convictions", it avows.

Tony Blair now faces his worst crisis to date Dagens Nyheter

"Like every other leader at the highest level he sometimes plays a game, but he is also prepared to pay a price for what he believes in. His support for the Iraq war is an illustrative example of this.

"Protests filled the streets of London and parts of his party were in uproar," the paper recalls, "but the prime minister stuck to his line."

Unlike America's George W. Bush, the British leader "had neither the people nor his party behind him - and now faces his worst crisis to date".

"Even if the report spreads the blame across many people, as most seem to assume," it says, "critics of Blair will be able to find enough to attack him."

And a commentator in Berlin's Die Welt does exactly that.

Noting the narrowness of the British government's victory in parliament over changes to the funding of universities, he says: "Nothing could do more to reveal the extent to which Blair's domestic political charisma has now been dissipated, than a government leader who, while commanding a dream parliamentary majority of 161, has to fight to avoid being devoured by rebellion within his own ranks."

Even if he survives this week, in many people's eyes Blair has become profoundly untrustworthy Die Welt

He argues that the two issues - student fees and Lord Hutton's report - "merge seamlessly into the magic word 'trust' - or rather, the lack of it".

"The Iraq war," he says ,"has brought Blair's credit within his own party to an unprecedented nadir... Even if he survives this week, in many people's eyes Blair has become profoundly untrustworthy."

The Iraq war revisited

Concern over their own countries' involvement in Iraq also concentrates the mind of editorialists in some Danish and Norwegian papers.

Two Copenhagen dailies take contrary views of the grounds for Denmark going to war against Iraq - an issue that a parliamentary inquiry is to look at on 24 March.

Berlingske Tidende contends that "Iraq did its best to appear to be a threat to world peace."

Even without weapons of mass destruction there were weighty arguments for invading Iraq Berlingske Tidende

"It is a fact that in 1988 Saddam Hussein committed mass murder against the Kurds with the aid of poisonous gas. And it is a fact that for years Saddam Hussein duped the UN weapons inspectors, eventually driving them out in brazen contravention of UN agreements."

"If Saddam had had the will he could quite easily have removed the fear of Iraq as a threat to world peace because of weapons of mass destruction. But he didn't have the will."

"On that basis it's no wonder that the war came."

"Even without weapons of mass destruction there were weighty arguments for invading Iraq," is the paper's view.

Information, on the other hand, points out that the American organisation Human Rights Watch has attempted to test whether the Iraq war fulfils the conditions for humanitarian intervention.

"The answer is a resounding no," it says.

"Humanitarian intervention should be used by the international community to a much greater degree than it is today, Human Rights Watch says. In Rwanda, in Kosovo, in Somalia, in East Timor, Sierra Leone... foreign military forces have helped stop civil war and stabilise peace agreements.

No assurances can be given that the Norwegians may not get involved in combat in Iraq Bergens Tidende

"In Iraq the concept was overridden - and that abuse is a catastrophe if it makes it more difficult to intervene in future in situations where war is justified and necessary."

Norway's Bergens Tidende attacks the recent decision to send Norwegian troops to Iraq.

The paper says it is "becoming more and more difficult" to differentiate between Norwegian soldiers in Iraq - who have only been authorised to perform humanitarian duties - and the occupying force.

While the paper says it has "had an earful" on the point that Norwegian soldiers "will perform humanitarian and so-called peaceful tasks", a news programme has revealed, it reports, that the Norwegians' secret rules of engagement open the way for combat and go much further than humanitarian tasks.

"The agreement with the British now states that the Norwegians are formally embedded in the British forces of occupation and are under British command.

"No assurances can be given that the Norwegians may not get involved in combat. It's not so strange then that the Pentagon operates with Norway as part of the occupying force on its internet pages", the paper concludes.

Funding Germany's universities

In Germany, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung dismisses a government plan to grant "a few select elite universities" extra funding to help them compete internationally.

It warns that cutting edge research cannot be established without support for a broad base.

"For top achievements, universities above all need freedom," the paper says.

It accuses the government of stifling creativity by turning professors into "science managers and administrative experts".

It also argues that tuition fees should no longer be banned, universities should be allowed to select their students and all establishments should receive the funds they need to provide adequate teaching.

The Berliner Zeitung is also sceptical about the plan.

The paper points out that universities tend to excel in some subjects but not in others.

"Is everything then going to be declared part of the elite? Why not subsidise good subjects across the country?" it asks.

France's 'keen interest' in China

In its coverage of the official visit to France by President Hu Jintao of China, the French daily Le Monde notes that President Jacques Chirac has "voiced unequivocal support for the Beijing regime, taking its side against the Taiwan authorities".

The economic context of France's support for China is one in which French companies have a keen interest Le Monde

At the same time that Mr Chirac was expressing such sentiments, the paper adds, his foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, was in Brussels calling for the lifting of the European embargo on arms sales to China imposed, it recalls, "after the repression of the democratic movement in Tiananmen Square in June 1989".

"The economic context of this double gesture of support for the Beijing regime," the paper informs, "is one in which French companies have a keen interest."

The European press review is compiled by BBC Monitoring from internet editions of the main European newspapers and some early printed editions.