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| 2013 Máj 24 (Péntek) |
Eszter, Eliza névnapja |
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By PABLO GORONDI, Associated Press Writer
BUDAPEST, Hungary - Hungary should have consulted with France and Germany
before signing a letter last month in support of U.S. policy in Iraq (news
- web sites), Foreign Minister Laszlo Kovacs said Friday.
Kovacs said that while Hungary had not made a mistake by signing the
letter, it had erred by not consulting all of its allies, particularly
France and Germany, over the matter.
"We failed to ask questions as to which other countries had been
approached (about signing the letter) and how did they respond," Kovacs
said during a meeting with foreign correspondents.
"We failed to inform French and German leaders ... and we didn't give
serious consideration to these procedures," Kovacs said.
In an op-ed column published in major U.S. and European papers in early
February, the leaders of Britain, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, the
Czech Republic, Poland and Denmark indirectly chided the traditional
powers France and Germany for opposing U.S. plans for military action
against Iraq.
The eight also expressed solidarity with Washington over Iraq and urged
strong U.N. Security Council action to force Baghdad to disarm.
Several other European countries, mostly from the former Soviet bloc,
later expressed their agreement with the letter.
Locally, Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy was strongly criticized by the
opposition parties for signing the letter and even the coalition partners
of his Socialist-led government, the Alliance of Free Democrats, were
upset he had not consulted them before signing.
Kovacs said he didn't consider war with Iraq unavoidable, but that another
U.N. resolution was not necessary for it to happen.
Military action may take place through a "new resolution or an
interpretation of 1441," Kovacs said, referring to the U.N. resolution
that set up the current weapons inspection program in Iraq.
The minister reiterated that Hungary was not planning any contributions to
a military campaign in Iraq other than allowing the U.S. Army use of a
military air base in southern Hungary to train Iraqi dissidents.
"We made it completely clear that this is our contribution to ... action
in Iraq," Kovacs said.
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