Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-29-Speech-3-027"

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"en.20030129.2.3-027"2
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"Mr President, I too am inclined to think that we should take a little look back in time. Who was it really that created Saddam Hussein? It was the United States, and they used him in the war against Iran. When Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons of mass destruction against his own people, the United States was informed of the fact. An American attack on Iraq would not only be an attack on an individual country. It would be an attack on international law and upon the whole UN system. That is why it is important for Mr Solana and Mr Patten to call upon all the Member States to stand shoulder to shoulder in the EU on this matter in order to safeguard international law and to ensure a future for the UN. I think that Great Britain and Spain, specifically, should be called upon to show that they too join with the EU in rejecting war. It would not of course be a war to disarm Iraq and introduce democracy there. Is it at all conceivable that the United States would install a Shia Muslim government in Iraq, reminiscent of the government in neighbouring Iran? Is that within the bounds of possibility? Could one imagine the United States allowing the Kurds their independence? Certainly, not much importance can be attached, then, to the talk of democracy. If the intention is to disarm Iraq, then that is the role assigned – rightly – to the weapons inspectors. If the desire is to disarm Iraq, it is a question of supporting the work being done by the weapons inspectors and Hans Blix. There is of course also the alternative of strengthening democracy in Iraq by removing the sanctions, other than those concerned with chemical and other weapons, including weapons of mass destruction. In that way, it would be possible to strengthen the Iraqi people and the democratic forces in Iraq, as well as democracy and peace for all of us. We also have another task. It is to ensure that the whole region is inspected and that we obtain a policy for disarming it: not only Iraq but also Iran and Israel. In conclusion, I want to state that we must urge Saddam Hussein to cooperate with the weapons inspectors so that we avoid a war. I believe that the way forward is through democracy, development and cooperation."@en1

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