Mr President, Mr Solana, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the overcoming of the Iraq crisis will not be helped either by the ‘No War’ placards on the of this House, or by the anti-American reflexes shared by that wing and the Members on the Right. Faced with this crisis, none of the European Union's Member States can remain indifferent, and it should not be necessary to remind you, in this context, that the source and origin of this crisis is to be found in Iraq and not in the USA. It is not through the USA's desire to unleash war on that part of the world that this crisis has come about, but because a despot remains in power in Iraq, and in possession of dangerous weapons of mass destruction, having already, in the past, demonstrated that he does not shrink from using them. (Interruptions) There are sufficient indications, my good sir, that Saddam Hussein is also pulling the strings of international terrorism and supplying it with funds. Nor do I see it as legitimate to speak in terms of the USA and the international community, which includes the European Union, applying double standards here. Double standards are not being applied, and asking where all the raids are to be carried out is actually out of order. Anyone approaching this issue with a serious mind knows that North Korea may well be very dangerous, but that it calls for responses that differ from those appropriate to Iraq. I do not think that a serious discussion is the proper place for assertions that the USA has weapons of mass destruction at its disposal and demands that it should therefore disarm. Arguments of that sort are of no use to anyone except Saddam Hussein, whose aim is to split European and American public opinion in order to win time and secure his political survival. If Saddam Hussein has nothing to hide, why then does he not put his cards on the table? Why does he not allow his scientists to give information without them having minders present? Let there be no doubt about it: the key to a peaceful solution to this crisis is in Saddam Hussein's hands, and he must cooperate in the manner specified by the chief weapons inspector, Dr Blix, when he addressed the UN Security Council. At the end of the day, too, the way in which the European Union handles this challenge will be crucial to the credibility of the plans for a common foreign and security policy, which are so much on our lips. There is no getting away from the need for us to speak as one on this issue. This applies not only to the Council's position on Iraq, but also, of course, to Parliament, and so I fully endorse the joint resolution that General Morillon has negotiated on behalf of our group. We support every conceivable peaceful step towards disarming Iraq and getting it to cooperate. We see action by the UN as having priority, and regard Iraq's build-up of rockets as a de facto breach of the UN resolutions. We Austrians are concerned about the way Iraq is stockpiling such weapons as anthrax, and we therefore support all the political and diplomatic efforts at using channels that will bring a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Although we Austrians attach the highest importance to a peaceful way forward, we are of course well aware of the fact that, being a small country, we cannot, at the end of the day, prevent anyone from taking military action as a last resort to secure peace and international security. What that means for us in practical terms is that no Austrian troops will take part in hostilities, but that we will instead – in accordance with Austrian tradition – participate in maintaining peace. It means, moreover, that aircraft will not be able to overfly Austria when taking part in hostilities, but only when taking part in action specifically authorised by the Security Council, and that the bottom line is that Austria's land and air sovereignty must be guaranteed. It is in this sense that we have fully supported the content of the Greek Presidency's joint conclusions, and also Parliament's resolution, which we hope is the expression of a common mind, the only regrettable aspect of which is that it reflects the lowest common denominator. I also repudiate the tendency of several Members of this House to allow themselves to be used by Iraq as propaganda tools, which contrasts with Parliament's fact-finding mission to the UN in New York. This is an important instrument, and, if this delegation is equipped with a clear message to Saddam Hussein, it should be enabled to carry this message to Baghdad as well.

Political group: PPE-DE