Three Opposing Countries of the Iraq War Announced a Joint Declaration

The struggle of power surrounding the Iraq War is faced with a new phase of the situation: ‘Crisis of Disruption in Europe’.

The large counteractions of France and Germany in opposition to the Iraq War towards the United States are accelerating this new phase. These two countries who was about to fall as the outcastes in Europe as well as the worldwide, have a success on making Russia, a Giant, on their side. President Jacques Chirac of France had a leaders’ conference with President Vladimir Putin of Russia on this day and announced the joint declaration of three countries, Russia, France and Germany, urging the weapon inspection on Iraq to be strengthened.

For these two countries that were having dilemmas due to the declaration of support on the Iraq War by eight countries of Europe in last month and 10 countries of the Eastern Europe on 5th, the joint of Russia is like gaining thousands of troops and horses. On the very same day, three member countries of the North Atlantic Treat Organization, France, Germany and Belgium have exercised the refusal on the Iraq War Support requested by the United States to the NATO.

▽The Joint Declaration of Three Countries = The joint declaration of the three countries at the leaders’ conference of France and Russia have came out of the conference between President Putin and Gerhard Schroder, German Chancellor. The declaration consists of allowing peaceful chances for Iraq to execute the disarmament, increasing the number of the inspection groups on Iraq by twice or three times and reserving the usage of the military enforcement as the ultimate, last method. They have directly stand in opposition to the United States who has been trying to use the failure of the UN inspection on Iraq as a justification of the war. President Chirac who has been even driven into a diplomatic isolation crisis due to its opposition on the war, broke the traditional custom of greeting the national guests at the Presidential Palace and he went out to Charles De Gaulle Airport to welcome President Putin.

▽The Confused NATO = On the 10th, the three countries of France, Germany and Belgium refused the Turkey Bearing Plan requested by both the United States and Turkey in preparation to the Iraq War. The Turkey Bearing Plan has been suggested because there is an anxiety over a possibility of Turkey receiving a counterattack from Iraq since Turkey is providing the military base for the United States. In fact, it was a support request to the NATO and Europe.

Turkey has requested another conference by pointing out the Article #4 of the NATO’s Constitution due to the refusals of these three countries. The Article #4 states, the member countries of NATO must discuss the issue together if there is an opinion that one specific member country is in danger. It has been analyzed that the fact of this Article being exercised for the first time, provides proofs on the disruption and the lethargy of the NATO.

Thus, the United States is strongly repulsing with the following statements: “I hope NATO will recognized its duties.” (Colin Powell, the U.S. Secretary of State) and “We will discuss this at NATO without France.” (Richard Pearl, the Chief Advisor at the Department of Defense). The atmosphere in Europe is becoming more and more confusing as more repulsions from other European countries in support of the war appears. Accordingly, the chair country of the European Union, Greece, has called for an emergency European Union summit talk to settle this kind of disruption.

Jei-Gyoon Park phark@donga.com