From Le Figaro, the main French conservative paper whose opinions can generally be assumed to mirror that of Chirac's party.On the Near [Middle] East, Iran and Syria, on these three perilous issues, Europe displays a policy of steadfastness, which increasingly resembles that of the United States. Never, during George W. Bush's second term, has the EU been so in tune with US diplomacy. Following Hamas's victory, whose scale it failed to predict, the EU has adopted a defensive posture, agreeing, as Washington demanded, to brandish threats of financial sanctions in order to bring pressure to bear on the Islamist party.
Within the Twenty-Five, the "tough" - that is, intransigent - line easily prevailed, even on France's part, some observers in Brussels noting a "change" of policy here. Hamas has acknowledged this, condemning the "blackmail" of the United States and Europe, without distinction, following the meeting of the Quartet (the United states, the EU, Russia, and the United Nations) in London, which revealed the convergence of viewpoints between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the EU's diplomatic chief, Javier Solana.
Still in London, the EU and the United States yesterday established a "six-way" agreement with Russia and China to bring Iran before the UN Security Council. This pressure on Iran, consistent with Washington's wishes, comes a month after the condemnation of Syria, urged by Paris and Washington. "There is at present between the United States and Europe a convergence of interests, of common fears, and a realization that nothing can be achieved separately," one European diplomat observed. The end of the Ariel Sharon era, the approach of the elections in Israel, Iran's nuclear programme, and Hamas's victory create a context of uncertainty favourable to transatlantic relations. "It is impossible to say whether Europe or the United States influences the other more, but ultimately these common positions seem to be the only effective kind, particularly in the Near East, where they have long been lacking."
Though they remain deeply divided over Iraq, the United States and the EU have decided during the past year and more to tone down their disagreements. "We are in a context of general readjustment in the Middle East," according to Dr Richard Whiteman, of London's Chatham Institute. "On the US side, the Iraqi venture obliges Washington to moderation. On the European side, the EU knows that it cannot perform a role in the peace process in the Near East and influence Israel without having the United States at its side."
On the European scene, the role performed by Angela Merkel, keen to intensify ties with Washington, is another new factor, which is causing the scales to tip towards the United States. "On both sides of the Atlantic, there is a real desire to avert conflicts, but on both Iran and Hamas, disagreements are still possible in the coming months with regard to way kind of sanctions to adopt," according to Charles Jenkins, Europe specialist at the Royal Institute of International Relations.