Human rights group Amnesty International today called on European governments to reflect on the human cost of any Iraqi conflict.

EU leaders are preparing for a special summit in Brussels on Monday to find some rare common ground on the prospect of another Gulf War.

The summit, says the group's EU director Dick Oosting, should "put human security first before taking any action."

"EU leaders must give urgent attention to what has the potential to be a massive human rights disaster for the people of Iraq."

However Europe's governments have remained divided over all aspects of the Iraq issue, not least the fundamental issue of whether to resort to military action or not.

Any consensus by EU leaders next week, on conflict itself or Amnesty's plea for a humanitarian focus, will be hard-won.

Officials from some EU capitals are playing down hopes for any meaningful outcome next Monday. "There is no sense in building up expectations," said one.

There are fears that the meeting will simply lay bare yet again the splits between European governments that have played themselves out publicly in other arenas such as the UN and NATO.

But Amnesty's Oosting says the EU has "an obligation to establish common ground on how it will face up to the likely consequences of war."

The talk to date on Iraq has been overwhelmed by hand-wringing over "tactics and timing," rather than the prospect of "civilian casualties and disruption to food supplies and. the fate of those who will be driven from their homes."

"This," says Oosting, "is what EU leaders should be discussing".