Governmental Positions On The Iraq War Prior To The 2003 Invasion of Iraq - Opposing U.S. Position - Europe

Europe

On January 29, 2003, the European Parliament passed a nonbinding resolution opposing unilateral military action against Iraq by the United States. According to the resolution, "a pre-emptive strike would not be in accordance with international law and the UN Charter and would lead to a deeper crisis involving other countries in the region".

France, Germany and Russia were from the very outset publicly opposed to a US-led war. As the US took a more militaristic position, these three nations' governments became increasingly outspoken in opposition to the invasion. In the end, France made it clear it would use its UN Security Council veto against a proposed resolution for war in Iraq at that given point. (See The UN Security Council and the Iraq war.)

On March 17, 2003, the US and Britain stated that they would not submit a resolution to the Security Council, admitting they did not have enough votes to force France or Russia to use a veto. In fact, only Bulgaria and Spain (in addition to the US and UK) declared outright that they wanted to vote for the U.S./UK resolution, while a few more nations, such as Chile and Guinea, had only said they would consider supporting it.

Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Greece, Austria and Liechtenstein also condemned the war. The Czech Republic, Croatia, and Slovenia were already mentioned above.

Read more about this topic:  Governmental Positions On The Iraq War Prior To The 2003 Invasion Of Iraq, Opposing U.S. Position

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