A leading backbencher from German Chancellor Mr Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democrat Party (SPD) was quoted today as saying the US-led coalition against terrorism would end if Iraq became a target.
"An attack [on Iraq] would certainly mean the end of the broad political alliance against terrorism. Arabic and Islamic countries would want nothing to do with that," deputy parliamentary leader of the SPD Mr Gernot Erler was quoted as saying in
Hannoverschen Allgemeine
newspaper.
"With an attack on Iraq, relations with Russia would also suffer," Mr Erler added, saying it would dash hopes of a final end to the Cold War and damage recent progress in arms control.
Yesterday, Mr Schroeder and German Foreign Minister Mr Joschka Fischer both made clear in a parliamentary debate that an attack on Iraq may strain Washington's ties with Europe.
"All European nations would view a broadening [of the conflict] to include Iraq highly sceptically - and that is putting it diplomatically," Mr Fischer said in the debate.
"We should be particularly careful about a discussion about new targets in the Middle East; more could blow up in our faces there than any of us realise," Mr Schroeder said.
US President Mr George W. Bush insisted this week that President Saddam Hussein allow inspectors back into Iraq to show he was not developing weapons of mass destruction. Asked what would happen if Saddam refused, Mr Bush replied: "He'll find out".