February 18, 2003

This is the report from The Herald U.K. in Glasgow (a paper which I was unaware until today, frankly):
Europe unites behind Blair with ultimatum for Saddam

EUROPE united last night to send a strong message to Saddam Hussein, warning him that he faced a last chance to disarm peacefully and affirming solidarity with the United States.

It was a personal triumph for Tony Blair, who scored a major diplomatic coup by turning the tide of European opinion towards a much tougher stance on Iraq.

"Baghdad should have no illusions . . . The Iraqi regime alone will be responsible for the consequences if it continues to flout the will of the international community," the 15 European Union leaders said in a joint declaration after an emergency summit in Brussels.
[...]
The differing stance between Britain and France had suggested the summit was heading for a rupture that could undermine EU unity and its ability to speak with a single voice.
[...]In views that showed the mood was moving away from France towards Britain, a number of leaders echoed Mr Blair's hawkish line.

Bertie Ahern, the Irish prime minister, said: "A lot of people now see the authority of the UN at stake. The inspections can't continue forever."

Hmmm. Advantage Blair.
Then there's the Times of London:
Explosive Chirac finds EU dinner hard to digest

JACQUES CHIRAC’S outburst at his parting press conference in Brussels last night confirmed that not all had gone well at the summit hailed as the showdown between old and new Europe.

The French President, still smarting over letters and articles from existing and future EU members backing the United States and Britain, suddenly turned on the new boys.

In a reference to Bulgaria and Romania, still negotiating their EU membership terms, M Chirac said: “If anyone had wanted to damage their chances of joining the EU, they could not have done it in a better way.”

It was an explosive end to one of the tensest nights in the EU’s recent history. It was one that was resolved, as so often before, by a classic fudge. But it was an outcome that had more for Mr Blair than M Chirac.

The text finalised over a tense working dinner in the Council of Ministers’ headquarters in Brussels was tougher than the bland statement agreed by foreign ministers just three weeks earlier.
[...]
As they supped Greek wine, in deference to Greece, which chaired the emergency meeting, the key advance for Mr Blair and the hawks was the recognition in the communiqué that inspections “cannot continue indefinitely”. They were the words Mr Blair needed to stop the UN process being dragged out interminably.

To avoid domestic strife, the British Prime Minister badly needs to keep the United Nations involved. Delays beyond next month would see the Americans going it alone.
However, there was a victory for M Chirac, Gerhard Schröder and the other doves when the resolution was amended to say that the inspectors should be given “the time and resources that the Security Council believes they need”.

But even there, there was a tiny victory for Mr Blair. Herr Schröder tried to say that there should be “more time”, but the hawks succeeded in removing the word “more”.

It also recognises that the military build-up that has resulted in some 200,000 American and 42,000 British troops being sent to the region has “been essential” in ensuring that Saddam has allowed the UN inspectors to return.
[...]M Chirac appeared to have had the roughest time. He was taken on by Silvio Berlusconi, and the Dutch and Irish Prime Ministers also sent verbal volleys in his direction.
M Chirac may be “grandstanding” as many diplomats in Brussels believe.

Yeah, I think he's grandstanding, too, but does he have to threaten Bulgaria and Romania?
And why should they want to join the EU if Paris/Brussels will try to dominate them in the same way that Moscow used to?
Again, though, Advantage Blair and New Europe.
Disadvantage Chirac.

Then, here's Deborah Orin's "no nonsense" take on it in the NY Post (Love her title, BTW!):
Stop! Goes The Weasel As Euros Back Bush

The European Union yesterday issued a "last chance" warning to Saddam Hussein - and French President Jacques Chirac promptly threw a temper tantrum, threatening to blackball nations that back President Bush.

The EU - which has been divided over Iraq - came together on a compromise statement calling on Iraq to disarm peacefully or else. It set no timetable and didn't say "time is running out," as urged by Britain, although it did praise the U.S. role.

Soon afterward, Chirac - who had signed off on the EU statement - unleashed a crude "shut up" order to the 18 European nations that sided with Bush.

Chirac's extraordinary outburst appeared to reflect the fact that the compromise EU communiqué took a more hawkish tone on Iraq and left the door open to war - while France has taken a dovish stance.

"These countries have not been very well-behaved and rather reckless of the danger of aligning themselves too rapidly with the American position," raged "Axis of Weasel" leader Chirac.

"They missed a great opportunity to shut up," fumed Chirac, who claimed nations backing Bush are taking a position that's "infantile" and "dangerous."

Chirac all but threatened to blackball Bulgaria - a U.N. Security Council member - and Romania from joining the EU.
[...]Many analysts say France's opposition to Bush reflects a broader goal of turning the EU into a counterweight to America, rather than a partner.

But U.S. officials contend it is actually France and Germany that risk being marginalized, because most European leaders have signed statements backing Bush's stance.

OK, Orin makes Chirac sound like a fool and an idiot!
Definite advantage New Europe and Blair!
But then read the WaPo's version: it sounds like they were at a different dinner and meeting!
EU Leaders Agree: Inspectors Should Get More Time

Acknowledging antiwar protests across the continent, the 15 European Union leaders agreed tonight that U.N. weapons inspectors should be given more time to find and destroy Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and declared that a war against President Saddam Hussein "should be used only as a last resort."

I hate to keep pointing out the Liberal bias of papers like the WaPo (heh-heh!), but it's so glaring the way they slant stories, isn't it?
Here they provide cover for not only the Marxist/Islamist-sponsored "anti-America" rallies, but try to provide major cover for Chirac,too and his goal of turning the EU into the new USSR!
This EU agreement on Iraq policy is really "no biggie," because they're not going to provide anything consequential like an "EU army" are they?
They seem to be going through the motions of getting along (as I'm sure many of them do) and of having an EU "common foreign policy" which France, with help from Germany, Belgium and Austria, have put the lie to with their actions "outside" of EU auspices, acting as independent nation-states.
All in all, I'd say Chirac made a complete fool of himself in front of his peers--Stalin must have been applauding him somewhere in the infernal regions-- and if the EU is to survive in future, it won't be with France or Chirac calling the shots!
It was probably that Greek retsina they were drinking that put Jacques in the bad mood...that and not getting his way!
I imagine that countries like Bulgaria, Romania, Ireland and Holland will be rethinking the whole EU "thing."
Betcha they know that they can look forward to many more occasions when that pompous ass Chirac tries to lord it over the rest of them and the prospect of that is anything but promising!
Go Chirac! Keep Europe free--the EU's gotta go and so does the U-fricking-N!