Mr President, we are all agreed that every endeavour must be made to safeguard peace and that it is the duty of all of us to strive to avoid war. I share the anti-war sentiments, but it is precisely in order to avoid war that the international community must identify with the United Nations Organisation and its decisions, thus giving authority to the role of the United Nations. The decisions taken by the UN thus far have been very clear, Mr President, starting with the message sent to Saddam Hussein calling for the disarmament of all weapons of mass destruction. If Iraq does not respect the wishes of the international community, an armed intervention, which, of course, may only follow a UN decision, will be inevitable. Now the ball is in the Iraqi dictator’s court. It is now up to Saddam Hussein to prove to the world that he does not have prohibited weapons. If he genuinely wants to prevent war, he must tell the inspectors the truth. I regret to say that, thus far, Saddam Hussein has been uncooperative towards the UN representatives, as is shown by Hans Blix’s report to the Security Council which expresses clear suspicions regarding nerve gas and chemical bombs. I quote: ‘On 7th of December, 2002, Iraq submitted a declaration of some 12,000 pages ... [to] ... the Security Council. ... Regrettably, the 12 000-page declaration, most of which is a reprint of earlier documents, does not seem to contain any new evidence that will eliminate the questions or reduce their number.’ The same applies to nerve gas. Iraq promised that the poisonous substance had not been deployed for use as a weapon, yet UNMOVIC has managed to obtain information to the contrary: there are indications that Iraq has produced more than it declared and that nerve gas has been deployed for military purposes. I will cite once again the report submitted to the Security Council in relation to chemical bombs: there is a discrepancy of 6 500 bombs. I repeat: 6 500 chemical bombs remain unaccounted for. Then Iraq has declared that it produced about 8 500 litres of anthrax, which it states it unilaterally destroyed in the summer of 1991. Iraq – the report continues – has provided little evidence for this production and no convincing evidence for its destruction. There are strong indications that Iraq produced more anthrax than it declared. The report continues in this vein. Today, I am pleased to say, Saddam Hussein is isolated. In addition to this, the statement made by Mr Putin yesterday calling upon the Iraqi dictator to cooperate with the inspectors, failing which Russia would be forced to change its position, must not be underestimated. The pressure on Saddam Hussein must be intensified. I am therefore appealing to the Members of the European Parliament who are thinking of going to Iraq to give up their plan. Saddam Hussein would use their mission to claim that Europe is divided and that he has some supporters in our continent. This exploitation must be avoided at all costs. Whether we choose war or peace now depends first and foremost on the decisions Saddam Hussein makes, and Europe must ensure that the Iraqi regime cooperates with the inspectors. In this extremely problematic situation, Europe’s duty is to use its influence to further peace. The Union’s document, approved by the Foreign Affairs Ministers the other day, is evidence that divisions can be avoided in our continent, divisions which Saddam Hussein could exploit to gain time and to create further setbacks for the United Nations. By speaking with one voice, Europe has persuaded the United States to accept the postponement of war and has given the inspectors more influence. The Old Continent can do a great deal to achieve peace, and this is why the initiatives being taken by the Italian Government at this time deserve our close attention and support too. The interviews and meetings – held today, tomorrow and on Monday – could prove to be extremely significant, not least in that I believe the Italian Government is conveying messages from the other countries of the European Union. The active quest for peace must not, however, Mr President, cause us to forget that we are all committed to safeguarding the values of freedom, tolerance and respect for human dignity, values which suffered attack on September 11. It is not just the United States which suffered – each one of us has been affected. Now, it is up to Saddam Hussein to prove that he is not supporting terrorism, that he has no dealings with Al Qaida and that he intends to bow to the will of the United Nations. In short, it is he who will be responsible for what happens in the coming months. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE