Brussels, 01/10/2002 (Agence Europe) - At the press conference that followed the "General Affairs and External Relations" Council on Monday, the Council's President said that ministers had been briefed by members of the Security Council on developments in the Iraqi dossier within the United Nations. Per Stig Moeller stipulated that during that exchange of views, the Fifteen placed emphasis on an "unconditional return of inspectors to Iraq" and the respect of undertakings made by the country's authorities. No further action should be undertaken without prior consultation with the Security Council, he said. The British and French ministers defended their already known stances on the issue. On the fringe of the meeting, Belgian Minister Louis Michel said that he remained totally opposed to military intervention in the current circumstances.
Regarding the Middle East, the Council President simply summarised the conclusions adopted by the Fifteen (see yesterday's EUROPE page 6), but Commissioner Chris Patten stressed that "we are very concerned by the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Territories", and placed emphasis on the problem of circulation humanitarian teams are facing. 20 EU humanitarian teams have been blocked at the airport since the beginning of the year, he pointed out.