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novembro 05, 2004
Iraq tensions cloud EU meeting with Allawi
European leaders were urged to forget their past divisions over Iraq, but tensions lingered as they met the country's interim leader for lunch, with French President Jacques Chirac notably absent.
Iraq's Iyad Allawi expressed regret that he was unable to talk in Brussels with Chirac, the key opponent of last year's US-led war whose relations with the interim government in Baghdad have been chilly.
But Chirac insisted he was not snubbing Allawi, and the Iraqi interim prime minister voiced hopes for "very positive" relations with Paris, underlining that his foreign minister was meeting with his French counterpart.
"Unfortunately, no," Allawi said when asked whether he was able to talk to Chirac during his Brussels trip. But he said: "We look forward to a very positive relation with France and with (EU) nations in the future."
Chirac said that he had "never refused" to meet Allawi, but was instead leaving Brussels early for the United Arab Emirates to pay his condolences after the death Tuesday of the Gulf country's founding leader.
Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, whose country holds the European Union's rotating presidency, also dismissed talk of a snub and said "I think that what we should do is look towards the future, forget about the past".
Europe was deeply split by the Iraq war, with an anti-war group led by France and Germany standing against a pro-US camp spearheaded by British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
But it is trying to unite behind the reconstruction of the country. The EU leaders were notably to agree to the immediate disbursement of 30 million euros to support the election process before Iraqi polls planned for January.
Allawi himself sought to smoothe ruffled European feathers by appealing for a fresh start in relations to help rebuild Iraq.
On his way to Brussels, Allawi caused anger by calling on "spectator" countries such as France and Germany to get off the sidelines and engage more in Iraq.
But speaking after pre-summit talks with Blair, Allawi said his administration wants "to forge a good and positive alliance" with Europe.
"History is history, past is past. We need to start afresh and open a new chapter," he told reporters.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, whose country opposed the Iraq war along with France and Germany, renewed criticism of Allawi's comments.
"I don't at all like the expression 'spectator'. I don't understand it," he told reporters.
Blair also called for European leaders to turn over a new leaf, in particular by facing the "new reality" of George W. Bush's re-election as US president.
"We've got to move on, there's a new reality, so let's work with that reality," he said after breakfast talks with Allawi in a Brussels hotel.
Before leaving, the French president confirmed that Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar had accepted an invitation to visit France, in a possible sign of rapprochement.
The first day of the Brussels summit saw a breakthrough with the incoming head of the European Commission announcing a new line-up for his EU executive after his first-choice team met fierce criticism from EU lawmakers.
Jose Manuel Barroso won approval for the new-look team, which notably replaces Italy's controversial nominee, from the EU leaders and said he hoped that he would now get the European Parliament's backing in mid-November.
But the EU gathering remained clouded by the grave condition of veteran Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at a hospital outside Paris.
The European leaders, while expressing anxiety over Arafat's condition, were set to endorse new ideas to keep the Middle East "roadmap" on track.
Publicado por esta às novembro 5, 2004 05:04 PM