Edited for brevity.
French President Jacques Chirac said Thursday he would like to see a transfer of power in Iraq in a matter of "months," as he and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder renewed their push for a quick return to sovereignty. Chirac, speaking to reporters after talks with Schroeder, said France wants a quick transfer of power to Iraqis. "When I say as quickly as possible, I of course mean months, not years," he said. Chirac’s remarks about "months" did not in any way indicate a change of position, said a French presidential spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity.
France has demanded a quick timetable on transfering power as a condition for accepting a U.S.-proposed resolution on Iraq at the United Nations. On Friday, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin called for the provisional government in a month, a draft constitution by year’s end and elections next spring.
Gee, guys, I don’t know. It’s hard to ignore Chirac’s position on this because he is somewhat of an expert on the subject. After all, it only took six weeks for France to transfer power to Germany in 1940. |