19/05/2004 (Agence Europe) - Andrew Duff MEP, who was very actively involved in the Liberal group at the Convention on the European constitution has criticised in a press statement the behaviour of the British government at the reopening of the IGC on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels (see above). The British Liberal said that, "At the IGC, Straw bores on about his 'dreary red lines' and seeks to dilute the force and to weaken the value of what was achieved by the Convention which drew up the draft constitutions. He and other ministers are only able to wreak havoc over the constitution because Mr Blair's back is turned on Europe. But as for 'winning for Britain', the truth is that the UK is regarded as the spoiler of the party, the country which spreads anti-democratic virus throughout the political system of the newly enlarged Europe". Mr Duff pointed out that five years ago, "at the height of the Kosovo war, Britain was prepared to work with its EU partners to secure an international peace-making and peace-keeping effort under UN auspices. Today in Iraq, Britain has abandoned that approach and treats with ill-disguised contempt French and German moves to internationalise the effort to pacify Iraq".