French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin on Thursday rejected a renewed US appeal for more international military support for Iraq, saying that sending in French troops would only prolong a tense situation. "To build on a system that now exists [and] to add foreign forces to the coalition forces doesn't appear to us the best way to guarantee security in Iraq," de Villepin told France-Inter radio. Before taking part in postwar Iraq, de Villepin said France wanted the United Nations take a larger role in reconstruction and stabilization. "Only the United Nations can bring the guarantees of reconstruction necessary for the full international community to take part," de Villepin said. "Reconstructing Iraq is not easy."
| And we don't intend to make it any easier... |
De Villepin also said the deaths Tuesday of Saddam Hussein's sons, Odai and Qusai, signaled "the end of an era" but warned they could spark more resistance from some Iraqis who might try to "avenge" the two sons.
| "Yup. Yup. Shoulda left 'em alive and kickin'. That's what we'da done..." |
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