Commenting on the US Army's reported use of white phosphorus in Iraq as an 'incendiary weapon' during the siege of Fallujah last year, Plaid Cymru Euro-MP Jill Evans has condemned the US action and called for the EU to back an independent investigation.

Jill Evans MEP said:

"This outrageous violation of the human rights of Iraqi civilians and of the Geneva Convention is the latest chapter in the United States' shameful history in Iraq. I hope that the EU will be able to give all possible support to make sure that an independent investigation into these reports can take place.

Having failed to give a true account when these stories first emerged, we certainly cannot allow the US to sweep this under the carpet.

This is a terrible weapon and its use against civilians is utterly inhumane. Have no lessons been learnt from Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo?

The deliberate and targeted use of white phosphorous against civilians is a blatant violation of the 1980 Convention to Ban Certain Conventional Weapons. I have no hesitation in calling upon the European Union to back the establishment a full independent investigation into this horrific tale."

Ends.