Europe lacks moral fibre, says US hawk

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday November 13, 2002 16:05 by fibre

Europe lacks moral fibre, says US hawk

Europe lacks moral fibre, says US hawk
Edward Pilkington and Ewen MacAskill
Wednesday November 13, 2002
The Guardian
http://makeashorterlink.com/?T22C52F62

Richard Perle, a leading Pentagon adviser on Iraq, last night launched an extraordinary tirade against Europe which he accused of losing its moral direction and providing succour to Saddam Hussein.

"I think Europe has lost its moral compass. Many Europeans have become so obsessed by the prospect of violence they have failed to notice who we are dealing with," he said in an interview with the Guardian.

Mr Perle expressed serious reservations about the United Nations chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, and the ability of his team to disarm Iraq.

But he reserved his most scathing comments for Germany and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's new anti-war stance.

"Germany has subsided into a moral numbing pacifism. For the German chancellor to say he will have nothing to do with action against Saddam Hussein, even if approved by the United Nations, is unilateralism," Mr Perle said.