Icy EU summit continues after clashes over Iraq
Anglo-French relations were as bad as ever today after another clash over Iraq at a European Union summit.
The political fall-out from the UK’s decision to go to war blighted a dinner of EU leaders in Brussels last night.
Today Tony Blair was staying on to talk about EU economic growth prospects just long enough to display a commitment to Euro-business-as-usual.
By early afternoon he hopes to be back in London overseeing the UK’s part alongside the US in the conflict, leaving the mending of fences between London and Paris for another day.
EU officials described the summit atmosphere last night as about the worst ever – especially when French President Jacques Chirac challenged the wording of a bland new EU declaration on the Iraq crisis.
The French insisted on dropping any reference to UN Security Council Resolution 1441.
Mr Blair settled for that – but put his foot down when the French also objected to a reference to the EU’s aim of achieving Iraq’s “full and effective” disarmament.
The final declaration included a declaration that the transatlantic partnership remains a “fundamental strategic priority” for the EU.
It said the UN must continue to play a central role during and after the current crisis.
And it called on the European Commission “to explore means by which the EU might help the Iraqi people to achieve the objectives of living in freedom, dignity and prosperity under a representative government”.
It was about as good as Mr Blair could have wished for in the circumstances - even reinforcing his claims that France’s refusal to countenance any reference to 1441 proved that the French were reneging on their UN agreements.
Mr Blair and President Chirac managed a brief handshake last night, but barely acknowledge each other beyond that.
Asked if they had spoken during the meeting, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman merely said: “The Prime Minister was in the presence of Mr Chirac – I won’t reduce this to personalities.”
Today the icy summit mood was likely to continue as the EU made efforts to return to its pre-war agenda – giving new momentum to EU efforts to create the world’s most dynamic economy by 2010.
