Brussels, 13/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - The spokesman for the Greek Foreign Ministry, Panos Beglitis, said that, at the meeting of Heads of State and Government of the EU devoted to the Iraqi crisis in Brussels on 17 February, the Greek Presidency would "make every possible effort so that the EU expresses in a text, in a unified and effective way, it stance for the UN precedence on the Iraq issue and for Saddam Hussein's compliance with UN Security Council resolution 1441". Asked about the French ideas of boosting the number of UN inspectors in Iraq, the spokesman for the Greek Presidency Christos Protopapas simply said that the Greek Presidency would try to reconcile the different positions of Member States (Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, speaking in the house of Commons on Thursday, said he found the French proposals circulating in the UN of doubling or tripling the number of inspectors and the appointment of a permanent co-ordinator in Baghdad and a control of Iraqi territory by spy planes difficult to achieve).
In Brussels on Monday, the foreign ministers will prepare the special summit from 11.00 a.m.. The summit is to begin at 18.00 hrs. with a meeting with European Parliament President Pat Cox. At 19.30, the heads of State and Government and the European Commission will have a working dinner with the foreign ministers.
Thursday afternoon, a further North Atlantic Council tried to reconcile the stances of the Allies in support of Turkey in case of reprisal by Iraq. The same day, in Berlin, German Defence Minister Jurgen Struck said that NATO would take a decision on Saturday on the subject.