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| Europe |
| Fighting words as de Villepin stands firm |
| 2003-09-12 |
| Tuff toikin’ from the world’s most expensively coiffeured two-bit mot-merchant... Dominique [who is a man] de Villepin, France’s foreign minister, defended his country’s honour... Yes, so many philosophical questions need to be answered ...yesterday from charges that its behaviour over Iraq has been motivated by money and cowardice. Non! Abseulement non! Eet wuz monaiii, cowardeece, et... un geuwd dause ov populeest antee-Americaineeeszum! In a rare meeting with British and American journalists, he spoke angrily of the misrepresentation of French motives and the unfair portrayal of France by foreign politicians and the press. "I hear people talking about France having ulterior motives to get oil contracts in Iraq," he said. "It is absurd." He also rejected the "caricature of France as a pacifist country which refuses to assume its responsibilities". What responsibilities? We can’t even look after Numero Un! M de Villepin’s fighting words served as a prelude to the meeting this weekend of Security Council foreign ministers in Geneva. France is still unhappy with America’s proposed resolution to expand international involvement in Iraq. M de Villepin said he wanted the resolution’s emphasis changed from dealing with violence to rebuilding the country. His remarks came as many, both inside and outside France, wonder how long President Jacques Chirac and M de Villepin will keep up their diplomatic battle with America. As long as it’s popular, presumably. French businessmen especially have been agitating for France to make up with America. Judging by M de Villepin’s performance yesterday it will be some time yet. Asked if he regretted the short-term political impact of France’s position on Iraq, M de Villepin, a published poet and historian of Napoleon, let rip with: "In the life of men, as in the life of nations, there are difficult moments. In France, we need courage and sang-froid If you really do find some courage an level headedness, we’ll let you apologise if you ask nicely. To those who questioned France’s motives in resisting first war in Iraq and now America’s handling of the country, he said neither he, M Chirac nor any other French official had any concern beyond the "principle of responsibility". Well that clears it up then. He added: "There’s no problem with Franco-American relations because we are dealing with issues much bigger than that. We must learn how two allies, two friendly countries can find solutions for the world. It is not by navel-gazing that we find solutions." I wouldn’t bother looking for this Frenchman’s guts either. He said France was in a stronger position now than at the time of the first resolution on Iraq, because it had remained firm and had threatened to use its veto. Respec to you Dom. You da man. "Abstention would have been washing our hands," he said. "It’s never a brave act and we were never likely to do it." Heh. The French don’t wash. He said it, not me. He hoped that France’s arguments would now be examined by America with "more clarity and less passion". Supply it and find out. He tried to resist the kind of gloating so evident in the French press about American and British problems in Iraq but he noted: "Iraq was not a terrorist country before the war." That war had brought "various divisions" and "created favourable conditions for instability and terrorism". Are we here to discuss French domestic and foreign policy? |
| Posted by:Bulldog |
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| Posted by: Not Mike Moore 2003-9-12 11:35:41 PM |
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| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-9-12 2:48:31 PM |
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| Posted by: DANEgerus 2003-9-12 2:46:14 PM |
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| Posted by: Mike 2003-9-12 1:27:08 PM |
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| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-9-12 12:38:40 PM |
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| Posted by: .com (Abu This RoP™ Asshats) 2003-9-12 9:56:13 AM |
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| Posted by: Craig 2003-9-12 9:36:18 AM |