Global Policy Forum

By Emma Thomasson

Eleven of the 15 United Nations Security Council members support prolonging U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq, which are just starting to bear fruit, a senior German government source said Tuesday. The countries supporting the U.S. position that "the game is up" for Iraq are Britain, Spain and Bulgaria, the source said, adding: "The rest of the members of the Security Council support the position of the German government."

The source rejected suggestions, voiced loudly by Germany's conservative opposition in recent days, that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder had isolated Berlin with his anti-war stance, saying Germany was coordinating closely with France and Russia. The source was speaking after France, Russia and Germany issued a joint appeal Monday for greater efforts to disarm Iraq peacefully in an effort to halt the momentum toward a U.S.-led war with Iraq. China backed the appeal Tuesday.

"This shows that the German government in no way stands alone in its position," the source said. "We want to do everything to use our whole political weight to prevent a war." The source said chief U.N. weapons inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, due to report back to the Security Council on Friday, had indicated "positive developments" in Iraq's cooperation.

The source also reiterated that Germany did not want NATO to start planning to protect Turkey, a position that has infuriated Washington and led U.S. officials to accuse France, Germany and Belgium of undermining the Western alliance. "It would send the wrong signal," the source said, but added Germany had assured Turkey of its solidarity, saying it had already said it would provide it with Patriot missiles and German crews for reconnaissance planes.

"This isn't about the protection of Turkey. It is about signaling that we are behind starting something that we don't see as justified at the moment."

STRONGER INSPECTIONS

The Security Council's five permanent veto-holding members are the United States, Britain, Russia, France and China. The 10 temporary members are Angola, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chile, Germany, Guinea, Mexico, Pakistan, Spain and Syria. Germany is currently chairing the council.

The source confirmed Germany was working with France and other allies on ways to reinforce inspections in Iraq by increasing the number of inspectors, improving intelligence gathering, creating a permanent U.N. representative for disarming Iraq and tightening trade controls. The source also confirmed most of the details of what was reported by Germany's respected Der Spiegel magazine at the weekend as a secret Franco-German initiative to avert war.

But the source denied the plan was secret or that it just involved France, and also rejected the Der Spiegel report that the plan centered on sending thousands of U.N. troops to enforce weapons inspections, noting that inspectors had already rejected such proposals when floated last year by Washington. "The possibilities of (U.N. resolution) 1441 have not be exhausted," the source said. The source said Germany was not in favor of a new U.N. resolution now on Iraq but any eventual military action must have a Security Council mandate. "There is no cause for such a mandate. We are not yet that far," the source said.

"We do not rule out military means as a last resort," the source said. "But...a war would entail more danger than it would bring solutions." The source reiterated that German troops would not take part in any war and stressed Schroeder's stance that Germany would not vote for any resolution mandating military action.

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