Non-Subscriber Extract
Lebanon's agony pushes Europe to unite
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| 16 August 2006 |
In the morass that is the crisis over Lebanon, there has been one too-familiar strand: the EU's inability to speak with a common voice. The divisions between the big three that opened up over Iraq seem on first glance to have hardened, with the French loudest in calling for an immediate ceasefire, the Germans refusing to countenance troop deployments, and the British huddled in a corner with the US.
The crisis comes at a critical time for the EU as a whole struggles to determine its purpose and its future credibility on the international stage. As Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja says: "If we fail, we can say goodbye to the EU's influence on international matters."
However, the constellation of European opinion and policy is more complex. France has been the most vocal and taken the lead on the crisis for more reasons than anti-US antipathy. France has long connections with Lebanon, and it is also the major Western state currently capable of deploying troops for the planned peacekeeping force.
German caveats over deployment have much to do with the current overstretching of their troops. And the British unwillingness to wholeheartedly back the French position has been based more on pragmatism than a gulf in ideology.
Public opinion across Europe is heavily against the Israeli action, and although official responses have vacillated between understanding and condemnation, the mood is hardening.
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© 2006 Jane's Information Group
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