MEPs adopted a resolution which calls on the Council to do its utmost to establish a joint EU policy towards Iraq, and for the UN Secretary-General "to make every effort possible to bring about Iraqi compliance through diplomatic and political means, also in dialogue with the EU's Arab partners". The vote was 388 in favour to 56 with 32 abstentions.
If diplomatic pressure does not force Iraq to comply with UN resolution 687 on allowing access for weapons inspectors, the resolution believes "further steps would have to be taken to force Iraq to comply with UN Security Council decisions".
While there was widespread disappointment at the EU's failure to agree a common line, it was left to PES group leader Pauline Green to point out that the EU was not responsible for military matters or deploying armies. It was in national parliaments where these decisions would be taken. Elmar Brok (D, EPP) saw the indecision and split amongst EU leaders as a sign of weakness and as enabling Saddam to indulge in brinkmanship. He wasn't the only MEP to regret the failure of the EU to play a stronger role in the crisis. Council President-in-Office Douglas Henderson said the crisis had been discussed at the highest possible level. EU leaders were united that Saddam must abide by UN resolutions on Iraq, and on the need for UN inspectors to be allowed unhindered access to weapon sites. A diplomatic solution was preferred. He elaborated that out of 63 suspect sites, the UN team had been obstructed in visiting 38 sites, and denied access to another 14. Despite some criticism, Mr Henderson claimed that the UK Presidency had fulfilled its obligations by keeping other member states informed and defending the EU's position. Mr Henderson added: "The present dispute over `presidential' sites exposes the Iraqi propaganda that it is sanctions that are the cause of the hardship and suffering of the Iraqi people. There are no sanctions, nor have there ever been, against the import of food and medicine. But these items are in short supply in Iraq. They are so because Saddam Hussein has consistently refused to spend money on his own people, preferring instead to spend it on his own comforts and his weapons programmes."
EU member states had taken the lead in pushing for doubling the amount of oil that Iraq can sell under the "oil for food programme" he said. He drew attention to the horrendous human rights violations perpetrated by the Saddam regime. Mr Henderson quoted from a recent UN report, which concluded that "the system of military dictatorship effectively requires that human rights violations occur in order to retain the positions and privileges of those in power". In other words, the price of criticising the regime was execution. Recently some 1,000 prisoners, serving sentences longer than 15 years, were executed because Saddam considered his prisons were overcrowded.