GREEK PRESIDENCY: MEPS BACK ATHENS' WISH FOR PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO IRAQ CRISIS.

Iraq.

The positions of the various EU governments on the Iraq situation dominated the debates. Costas Simitis said he hoped the January 27 General Affairs Council would lead to a common position on the strategy to follow so that the four Member States on the UN Security Council (United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain) adopted a constant, uniform and clear approach to this issue. Hans Blix, who is heading the UN inspectors' mission, will visit Brussels on January 16 to meet Javier Solana, the EU's High Representative, and Chris Patten, European Commissioner for External Relations. A debate is to be held on January 29 with Mr Solana during the European Parliament's plenary session in Brussels.

"We risk seeing a military conflict in Iraq and we want to avoid it", said Costas Simitis, while agreeing the Member States were at odds over this issue, particularly in the case of relations with the United States. "However, I believe in the need for utopia", he stressed. European public opinion was increasingly concerned about going to war, according to Romano Prodi, the European Commission's President. There were differences of opinion between the Member States but public opinion was unanimous: the EU had to rule out the spectre of a war which has nothing to do with combating terrorism, he said.

"Certain parties opt for a domestic policy of keeping on the sidelines, while others blindly follow the United States, the choice has to be for a European policy", said the leader of the EPP group, Hans Gert Pottering, during a debate implicitly condemning the German and British positions. A "pointless, destructive war" had to be avoided, according to the leader of the PES group, Enrique Baron Crespo. "There is no need to hide behind the Security Council's skirts, Europe has four members in that forum, including two permanent ones, and they can influence the decisions," said the leader of the Greens, Daniel Cohn-Bendit. His colleague, Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann, (UEL, Germany), added that the "EU has to put its political weight in the balance to help develop a peaceful solution ".

Lisbon process.

"The economic and social climate raises serious challenges but it also offer opportunities, and the Lisbon process is more relevant than ever", said Costas Simitis, stressing the need to modernise the European social model and review the employment strategy. In his speech, Romano focused on research and innovation as the prerequisites for the European economy's future...