Germany in bid to block war on Iraq. Germany was trying last night to build a coalition to prevent America and Britain from going to war with Iraq, threatening one of the biggest transatlantic rifts for decades.
The plan, hatched in secret by Germany and France, is expected to be presented to the United Nations Security Council this week at about the same time as a crucial report by inspectors on attempts to disarm Saddam Hussein.
[...]
Germany claimed French support and involvement in the planning behind Project Mirage, which would authorise the UN effectively to take over the running of Iraq.
It would then triple the weapons inspection teams to 300, allow the deployment of UN troops and allow reconnaissance flights over the entire country. Saddam would be allowed to remain in office, albeit as a figurehead.
France claimed that the plan was not secret but acknowledged the bare bones of the proposals. In a meeting last night, President Vladimir Putin of Russia also offered carefully phrased backing. [news.telegraph.co.uk]
France, Germany, and Russia are the main countries with investments in Iraq, so it's not surprising they want to avoid having their investment blown up and then handed over to American control. I don't think there's any chance that Saddam will go for it, though--since he's refused to surrender to America, there's no reason to think he'll suddenly surrender to Europeans.
The story is most interesting for the howls of outrage coming from the "death to Iraq" crowd. Those people have been insisting loudly that they want to "liberate" the Iraqis, or stop Saddam from being a "threat," depending on which arguement they think will play better at the moment. The European plan would accomplish those things as well (insofar as anyone really wants to liberate anybody) as a US invasion, and without the bombing. But it would leave Iraq as a colony of the EU and not America. Thus, the howls of outrage reveal what the "chickenhawks" really want out of a war with Iraq.
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