Lawmakers: Europe must do more in Iraq

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: Associated Press

BRUSSELS, Belgium - EU efforts have failed to help improve the situation in Iraq, a European Parliament report said Wednesday, calling for the 27-nation union to expand its presence on the ground.

Since 2003, the European Union has committed more than $1.2 billion for reconstruction.

But "Europe can do much more and much better, namely by ... considerably expanding its presence on the ground and by finding more creative ways to use its resources," the report said.

Lawmakers from the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee called for the EU to expand its presence by operating on the ground in the Kurdish region in the north, among others, and by boosting its operations in the cities of Basra and Irbil.

They urged the EU to debate a new strategy in Iraq with the United States and, with Washington, to hold talks with Syria and Iran to discuss Iraq's future "without prejudice to any other issue of concern."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080227/ap_on_re_eu/eu_iraq

[acmavm]

1. They want to go in and pull bush**s (chest)nuts out of the fire.

Fools.

[xxqqqzme]

2. Please don't do anything that * will take credit for.

He deserves all the credit for the disaster he created.

[Deny and Shred]

3. Debate a new strategy? How about form a strategy.

France and Germany tried to debate strategy at the outset, and had U.S. Senators preaching a boycott of French goods in return. I thought they were smarter. Maybe they want to get back in on the Iraqi oil contracts they had pre-Shock & Awe, and figure that would be more likely with the next Administration if they had a bigger military presence. I can't think of another good reason.
The EU may just have their hands full soon with the Balkans. Then again, the EU didn't exactly leap in there the first time around. In their defense, it is a more stable Union now than the early 90's.