Europe considers its alliances

The divisions within Europe over Iraq and the increased emphasis that the US is placing on new members of NATO like Poland is having an impact within Europe.

A routine meeting of the leaders of the so-called "Weimar Triangle" - France, Germany and Poland - in Wroclaw, Poland, Friday was transformed into an effort to reconcile "old" and "new" Europe.

For Poland, its newfound importance to the US as a European player contrasts sharply with recent treatment from French President Jacques Chirac. During the Iraq debate, Mr. Chirac warned Poland to "keep quiet."

"Poland no longer appears in the role of a supplicant, humbly admitted to the table," wrote Poland's Trybuna daily in an editorial. "Now its position not only must be taken into account, it can also be made good use of."

The US has chosen Poland to lead one of three occupation zones being created in Iraq. Poland's acceptance of the mandate embarrassed Germany and isolated the French.

Last week Poland suggested that it could lead forces in Iraq that include German and Danish troops from a joint military corps. Germany shrugged off the idea, but now no longer rules out sending troops to Iraq as part of a NATO force with a UN mandate.

The split in Europe over Iraq is also providing new momentum for efforts to create a common European foreign policy - which would offer clearly enunciated European positions and might prevent the kind of fissures in the Western alliance created by the Iraq war.

Germany's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, who diplomats say was at odds with Schröder over Iraq, is taking a leading role in restructuring the European Union's foreign-policy regime.

Fischer, who has maintained close ties to Powell throughout the Iraq crisis, has called on Europe to draft a joint military and security doctrine. He has also drafted a blueprint to create a European diplomatic corps as an independent EU government office with oversight over the EU's military and civilian conflict management and defense policy. Fischer also wants the European foreign ministry to have authority to evaluate political developments outside the EU and formulate foreign policy options for EU leaders.

As details of Fischer's plan for European foreign policy is emerging, a campaign to appoint him as Europe's first foreign minister is gaining momentum. Last week, Jean-Claude Junker, an influential European statesmen and prime minister of Luxembourg, threw Fischer's name into the ring, calling him an "excellent appointment" for the job. Since becoming Germany's foreign minister in 1998, Fischer has been an enthusiastic advocate of a common European foreign policy and has been active in giving Europe a voice in the Middle East peace process.

Schröder appeared to officially nominate his foreign minister for the job as European foreign minister in the interview with the Tagesspiegel on Sunday, saying that he would hate to lose Fischer as foreign minister. "But if such a position is obtainable for Germany and we have an excellent candidate, then the chancellor cannot be selfish," he said.

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