French leaders have reacted angrily after US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld described France and Germany as the "old Europe", marking a deepening rift over policy on Iraq.
Finance Minister Francis Mer said he was "profoundly vexed" by Mr Rumsfeld's remarks, while former Employment Minister Martine Aubry described the US as arrogant. Mr Rumsfeld made the remarks in Washington after French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder agreed to work together to oppose US threats of war in Iraq.He told foreign journalists that France and Germany were not representative of modern Europe. "You're thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don't," he said. "I think that's old Europe."
Bitch slapped them!
He pointed to the planned expansion of Nato, with seven eastern European and Baltic countries invited to join the alliance.
"If you look at the entire Nato Europe today, the centre of gravity is shifting to the east," Mr Rumsfeld said.
And they remember who their friends are.
The BBC's James Coomarasamy, in Paris, says the divisions between Europe and the US over Iraq are growing more public and the rhetoric more pointed by the day. The French Environment Minister, Roselyne Bachelot, told one interviewer: "If you knew what I felt like telling Mr Rumsfeld..." She then stopped herself, saying the word was too offensive.
Rummy would gut her and nail her hide to his office wall without breaking sweat
Europe is deeply divided over the possibility of war with Iraq. France and Germany are opposed to early military action, while the UK is sending massive troop deployments to the Gulf.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has questioned the commitment of France and Germany to disarming Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. However, he has described the disagreements with France as a "blip", saying he hoped "the French would come to the understanding" of the need to use the threat of force to compel Saddam Hussein to disarm.
Bye, bye, France! Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out. |