Paris, 13/03/2003 (Agence Europe) - Speaking in front of the Assemblée Nationale's Delegation for the European Union in Paris on Wednesday, Romano Prodi reiterated the need for the countries of the EU to show "loyalty and mutual solidarity" in the face of the Iraqi crisis (see also EUROPE of 12 March, p.8, on Mr Prodi's speech to the European Parliament on the state of the Union). Mr Prodi repeated what he had said at Parliament, that Member States with a seat at the Security Council should consult each other and keep each other informed: "we want the United Nations to remain at the centre of international order", he re-asserted. He added: "by taking the part of the United Nations and multilateral procedures, by taking the risk of expressing their disagreements loud and clear, the French authorities are implicitly defending a certain conception of Europe". Mr Prodi also felt that the "amazing" convergence of public opinion in the Union in their rejection of war represents "a first step on the road to a coming together of the people" of Europe.