Vilnius 10 sign letter on Iraq

The letter was drafted on Wednesday before and after the speech of US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in which he submitted evidence that Iraq does not respect UN resolutions.

In the draft letter seen by EUobserver, the Foreign Ministers of the ten countries state that they "understand the dangers posed by tyranny and the special responsibility of democracies to defend our shared values".

They support the declaration made at the Prague NATO Summit in November, which asked for full disarmament of Iraq as stipulated by the UN Security Council resolution 1441. They also make reference to the "international efforts to achieve a peaceful disarmament of Iraq".

The ten foreign ministers conclude by saying that "the clear and present danger posed by Saddam Hussein’s regime requires a united response from the community of democracies". They call upon the United Nations to take the appropriate action.

The Vilnius Group initiative follows a similar article of support for the US position that was published last week. The letter was signed by the leaders of five EU member states - Britain, Denmark, Italy, Portugal and Spain - and three candidate countries - the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

Bulgaria provides crucial balance

In view of the continuing disunity in European opinion on Iraq, Bulgaria, a permanent representative of the UN Security Council, may provide a balance. The country sits at the UN council together with France, Germany, United Kingdom and Italy. Bulgaria is a candidate for EU membership and has just received the invitation to join NATO. Its vote can still change the course of events, though the country is now placed in a difficult situation between NATO and the EU.

Following Colin Powell’s presentation, the foreign minister Solomon Passy said that the presentation "was strong and compelling. Iraq must immediately co-operate fully and effectively. So far, Iraq has been in breach of the necessary UN resolution."