A large-scale survey of opinion in Europe and the US suggests that most people would support a military attack on Iraq - but only if it is carried out as a joint allied action with United Nations approval.

The poll of more than 9,000 people found 60% of Europeans and 65% of Americans in favour of action.

Poll

Conducted in the US and six European countries 6,001 Europeans and 3,262 Americans interviewed Conducted in June

The survey - commissioned by the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Chicago Council of Foreign Relations - also found that most Europeans believed that American foreign policy was partly responsible for the attacks of 11 September.

But most Europeans considered American military action since the attacks to be self-defence, rather than an attempt to enforce its will around the world.

Support for Washington

Researchers interviewed people in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland, as well as the US.

Europeans polled

US partly had itself to blame for 11 September: 55% agree US launched the war on terror in self-defence: 59% agree Approve of military strike on Iraq if it has UN backing: 60%

Among those polled in Europe, 55% said they believed US foreign policy contributed to the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September last year.

The French were the most critical towards the US, with 63% saying it was partly to blame while in Italy, where the figure was lowest, a majority of 51% still thought that way.

The poll's sponsors say the survey shows that despite their differences, there is more that unites Europeans and Americans than divides them.

A majority - 59% - of Europeans saw American actions overseas in the past year, including the use of military force against the Taleban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, as having been motivated by self-defence.

Asked whether the European Union should become a military and economic superpower like America, 65% of Europeans said yes.

But an overwhelming 90% also said the EU should co-operate with America, not compete with it.