BERLIN — As the U.S. saber rattles in the direction of Iraq, European allies are making their own noise in opposition to war and are insisting that any military action against Baghdad be endorsed first by the United Nations.
A day after German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder put Washington on notice that his country's solidarity in the war against terrorism won't extend to "adventures," Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer called Tuesday for "different priorities" to replace invasion in the global search for security and peace.
The German leadership's push for a more pacifist approach to ensuring that Iraq cannot make or use weapons of mass destruction could be seen as political posturing, as Schroeder this week put his troubled campaign for reelection into full throttle.
But in Britain, where Prime Minister Tony Blair has already hinted that he will support whatever action against Iraq is deemed necessary by U.S. allies, an influential phalanx of religious leaders and laymen is urging Blair to oppose military intervention.
"It is our considered view that an attack on Iraq would be both immoral and illegal, and that eradicating the dangers posed by malevolent dictators and terrorists can be achieved only by tackling the root causes of the disputes themselves," a group of clergy said in a declaration delivered to Blair's 10 Downing Street office Tuesday.
The appeal from the Christian peace movement Pax Christi was signed by nearly 3,000 people across the religious spectrum, including the new head of the Anglican Church and archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.
"It is deplorable that the world's most powerful nations continue to regard war and the threat of war as an acceptable instrument of foreign policy, in violation of the ethos of both the United Nations and Christian moral teachings," the document said.
Other European politicians and social groups have also been grumbling loudly that the White House may move to depose Iraqi President Saddam Hussein without support or authorization from the U.N. Security Council. President Bush has stepped up his rhetoric calling for a "regime change" in Baghdad in recent weeks, and Congress last week opened hearings on the rationale and risks of an Iraq invasion.
In addition, a senior White House official said the administration believes that one of the Sept. 11 hijackers had ties to Iraq, despite CIA and FBI doubts about any such link.
