Berlin? Paris? You listening, reading?
"Thanks in large part to American bravery, generosity and far-sightedness, Europe was set free from the two forms of tyranny that devastated our continent in the 20th century: Nazism and Communism."
So say these European leaders: Jose Maria Aznar (Spain), Jose Manuel Durao Barroso (Portugal), Silvio Berlusconi (Italy), Tony Blair (United Kingdom), Vaclav Havel (Czech Republic), Peter Medgyessy (Hungary), Leszek Miller (Poland), Anders Fogh Rasmussen (Denmark).
And they have no doubts about what must be done now:
"The combination of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism is a threat of incalculable consequences. It is one at which all of us should feel concerned. Resolution 1441 is Saddam Hussein's last chance to disarm using peaceful means. The opportunity to avoid greater confrontation rests with him."
Other moving excerpts from this joint statement, which appeared in Europe's leading newspapers today:
"The real bond between the United States and Europe is the values we share: democracy, individual freedom, human rights and the Rule of Law?These values crossed the Atlantic with those who sailed from Europe to help create the USA?
Thanks, too, to the continued co-operation between Europe and the United States we have managed to guarantee peace and freedom on our continent?"
By the way, the average economic growth last year of these eight countries was more than twice that of France and Germany. Hmmm. Read the rest of this profoundly moral declaration on the BBC website.
