US aware of plot to split Europe over Iraq
Washington's relations with Germany and France appears to have hit a low point once again, following revelations reported yesterday over Iraq. The US was aware of the two European declarations earlier this year (designed to isolate France and Germany over Iraq) before they were even published, the Financial Times claims.
The newspaper writes that the Bush administration was informed days before the publication of the so-called "letter of eight" - drafted by Spain and signed by seven other European countries - pledging solidarity with the US in its effort to "rid the world" from the danger posed by Saddam Hussein.
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But France, Germany and the EU were kept in the dark.
Washington was moreover, greatly involved in the second declaration, which arrived the following week.
A US citizen with ties to the White House wrote the Vilnius 10 letter, signed by the 10 nations of central and Eastern Europe lining up to join Nato, which endorsed the "compelling evidence" presented by the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, to the UN Security Council on 5 February.
These statements exposed rifts amongst the European countries over Iraq and undermined the effort to forge a common European foreign and security policy.
