European Leaders Divided on Iraq Issue

It seems increasingly likely that the United States will enforce their policy of regime change in Iraq with military action, with or without the support of their allies.

President Bush has promised to be patient with Saddam Hussein but his determination to remove the Iraqi dictator is well documented.

Do European leaders support the Americans or turn away from the transatlantic alliance in protest?

The implications for the U.S. - Europe alliance and for those countries who refuse to offer assistance in the removal of Saddam Hussein from his Baghdad seat of power are as cloudy as those surrounding the possible effects of the war.

Germany takes a stand by being the first to refuse

While most European leaders mutter behind closed doors, Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has made his country's position blatantly clear. German troops will not take part in any invasion and German money will not be used to assist those who pursue the aim.

In Britain, the political heat is at its hottest. Prime Minister Tony Blair, an advocate of the 'special relationship', stood shoulder to shoulder with President Bush after the terrorist attacks of September 11th and has since committed British armed forces to action in Afghanistan as part of the war on terror.

Now, with voices from politics, the Church and the press calling for hard facts to justify a decision to attack Iraq, Mr Blair finds himself between a rock and a hard place.

British Prime Minister under pressure from all sides

Mounting pressure comes from an increasing amount of members of parliament who are demanding an open debate in the House of Commons to discuss the issue of support and involvement.

Senior cabinet ministers, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, have expressed private doubts concerning the legitimacy of a planned offensive.

Church leaders, led by the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, have expressed concerns over the legal and moral ground surrounding any such military action.

On Thursday, union leaders announced that they were preparing emergency anti-war resolutions to be tabled at this autumn's Trades Union Congress and Labour conferences.

They announced that they were seeking a special meeting of the party's national executive committee to pressure the Prime Minister into debating the issue.

The British public is also leaning towards and anti-war stance. A secret poll ordered by Mr Blair showed that 52 percent of those questioned were against involvement with only 35 percent in favour. The same poll also put President George W. Bush behind the Britain's Conservative Party in a popularity poll.

Where is Europe headed on Iraq?

Across the rest of the EU it is a mixed picture, with many leaders insisting that the priority is not Saddam Hussein but a greater effort to find some formula for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Many European politicians have expressed fears that an attack on Iraq would radicalise many more Muslims, creating instability across the region; toppling some existing regimes and endangering oil supplies at a time when the world economy is rocky enough.

France concerned while Spain, Italy likely to support

French President Jacques Chirac has also indicated his reservations, putting the emphasis on a return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq.

Like many European capitals, Paris wants to see every possible effort expended through the UN machinery before a recourse to war is contemplated.

But diplomats say it is not impossible that France would come around to backing military action at the end of the day. Dominique de Villepin, the new French foreign minister, has said: "The more we put pressure on the Iraqi regime, the more we have to research on peace in the Middle East."

Among the most hawkish of EU leaders has been Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of Spain, who strongly backed Bush's "axis of evil" speech.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who also serves as his country's foreign minister, is expected to back U.S. action although his Defence Minister Antonio Martino has said participation of Italian troops would depend on "incontrovertible proof" about Iraq's war programmes.