Majority of Europeans would back Iran attack - poll

Thursday, 05 April 2007

A slim majority of Europeans would back attacks on Iran as a last resort to stop it acquiring a nuclear bomb, according to a poll released on Wednesday. Asked to comment on the statement "we must stop countries like Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, even if that means taking military action", 52 percent said they agreed, with 40 percent against. A majority agreed with the statement in 18 EU states including France and Britain while a majority was against it in nine others, including Germany and Spain. Support was highest in Denmark (68 percent) and fell to 37 percent in Slovakia, the poll by France's TNS-Sofres showed. Iran has repeatedly rejected suspicions it wants to make an atomic bomb in a years-long dispute with the West over a nuclear programme it says is intended purely for electricity. The U.N. Security Council last month agreed new sanctions against Iran. The survey of more than 17,000 Europeans conducted last month for London-based think-tank Open Europe appeared to confirm findings of a poll last year that showed many in the West were ready to back military action if other avenues failed. Europeans differed more on the threat to their country from Islamic fundamentalism. While 58 percent on average agreed it was a serious threat, the span ranged from 71 percent in Britain - where 52 people were killed in suicide attacks by Islamists in London in July 2005 - to 24 percent in Latvia.

 

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