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Europe
French seek Iraq pull-out debate
2004-09-28
Withdrawal of US-led forces must be on the agenda if an international summit on Iraq is to go ahead, France's Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said. He was responding to a proposal from US Secretary of State Colin Powell for a conference next month. Mr Powell said the meeting would help stabilise the region in the run-up to Iraqi elections in January. Mr Barnier described Iraq as a "black hole", and said minimum security levels must be met before elections are held. The French minister proposed that all political groups in Iraq, "including a certain number of groups or people who now have chosen the path of resistance by arms", should be included in the talks.
"Why should a little beheading keep someone from talking about peace?" he added.
He also said the "only place" to hold such a gathering was at the United Nations. Mr Powell suggested the summit could be held in Jordan or Egypt, and include Iraq's Middle East neighbours and major industrialised countries. Mr Barnier said US withdrawal was a central issue, one "which should be on the agenda of such a conference, if we want it to take place".
So as to guarantee chaos.
"The situation in Iraq is one of chaos," he told France Inter radio. "This chaos runs the risk of destabilising, of drawing in the whole region. I have compared it to a black hole. We have to get out of this black hole, this spiral of violence, and launch negotiations and the political process," he said.
"We"?
The EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana called the idea of a conference a "positive" step, though he said it would not necessarily be possible to convene it next month. Mr Solana also said Iraq's elections should go ahead in January despite fears that recent spiralling violence will make them impossible.
Posted by:Steve White

#16  I was thinking more along the lines of Afirican economic colonies like Niger (can you say uranium and forged docs?), or Fr. Guyana, or heaven forbid, Cote d'Ivore. Though I do admit, Tahiti would be a nice little addition.
Posted by: ed   2004-09-29 12:42:27 AM  

#15  Not if you get twice as much back from the government than you pay.

That's actually not too dumb, right?
Posted by: True German Ally   2004-09-29 12:32:23 AM  

#14  TGA, if so then they missed out. They should have opted for our Puerto Rican deal - all the rights without the taxes or responsibilities.
Posted by: Super Hose   2004-09-29 12:15:46 AM  

#13  Not likely, they are highly subsidized by France (and the EU).
And you can't call them colonies. Martinique and Guadeloupe are full blown French départements, with the same rights than any département in France métropolitaine (plus some extra perks). (And they only speak English as long as a U.S. cruise ship is in town.)
You might as well call Hawaii and Alaska U.S. colonies.
Posted by: True German Ally   2004-09-29 12:09:31 AM  

#12  How many of France's African, Caribian, and Pacific colonies can't wait to leave the French orbit. Time to bring them into the Anglo-American sphere.
Posted by: ed   2004-09-29 12:03:46 AM  

#11  Fine - but the French have to come to New York on the "DeGaulle" - under its own power.

After (IF) they get there, we can all have a good laugh at their expense.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2004-09-28 11:28:01 PM  

#10  Excuse my French: "allez vous faire f**tre."

France is an ally of the enemy. I'm waiting for the Old Media to start reporting on *that*.
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever)   2004-09-28 10:31:10 PM  

#9  Let the French and the UN start the summit... we'll join them as soon as we get ourselves (and Iraq, of course!) organized. But I have faith that Mr. Annan, Minister Barnier and Chief Solana can hold the fort until we get there.
Posted by: trailing wife   2004-09-28 8:40:48 PM  

#8  As Tonto said to the Lone Ranger, "What do you mean, WE, white man?"
Posted by: Weird Al   2004-09-28 4:10:51 PM  

#7  Withdrawal of US-led forces must be on the agenda if an international summit on Iraq is to go ahead ...

I'm confident the French are rather irritated at how the continued presence of Coalition troops in Iraq makes it impossible for them to keep up their involvement in the "Oil-for Palaces" scam.

Still, it's always less than amusing to see a supposed ally attempting to mantle themselve with world leadership while kissing terrorist @ss. The two go together so well ... at least for the French.
Posted by: Zenster   2004-09-28 3:31:57 PM  

#6   "This chaos runs the risk of destabilising, of drawing in the whole region. I have compared it to a black hole."

We sure wouldn't want to destabilize the region with elections. Good Lord, people excerising free will would cause irreparable harm to the festering sesspit of such progressive countries like egypt, saudi, syria and lebanon.

Um, were the french even invited? I saw no mention of an invite....
Posted by: johnCV   2004-09-28 1:46:46 PM  

#5  I initially thought that this was from Scrappleface. I would hope that during the second term of the Bush administration no one, even the State Department, even returns a phone call to France. These poseurs deserve to seethe in their own impotence.
Posted by: RWV   2004-09-28 1:40:37 PM  

#4  I understand that if the terrorists are involved, Kerry plans to go. He does have experience talking with America's enemies while in Paris, after all.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2004-09-28 1:03:30 PM  

#3  Now you know why they are our "Oldest Enemy".

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385512198/qid=1096388125/sr=1-10/ref=sr_1_10/002-1901497-6582410?v=glance&s=books
Posted by: Jack is Back   2004-09-28 12:18:04 PM  

#2  Lol! It's always a hoot when one of the world's multiculti ninnie-states starts talking about "destabilizing" the ME... Indeed, it's normally so serene, there.

If Solana likes the idea and Chirac's Wimpettes are already stacking the agenda, as per usual, then we should blow it off. There's nothing useful to be found in such a circus.
Posted by: .com   2004-09-28 11:45:41 AM  

#1  Remind me again why these jerks are flapping their gums. STFU, frogs.
Posted by: Spot   2004-09-28 11:43:53 AM  

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