]Believe it or not
France wants US to "win this war quickly
Posted: Friday, March 28, 10:53am EST
France's government insisted Friday that it hopes US-led forces win the war in Iraq, protesting news reports that the French foreign minister was ambiguous about his position.
The Foreign Ministry issued a curt statement quoting Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin as saying on Monday: "The United States, we hope, will win this war quickly."
The statement said the ministry was "indignant" about the press coverage of Villepin's comments Wednesday at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London.
The ministry did not specify which publications it was referring to, but at least two English-language newspapers reported that Villepin refused to say explicitly who he hoped would win the war.
When asked after a speech if he wanted the coalition forces to win, Villepin said he would not answer, admonished reporters for not listening carefully and referred them to earlier remarks.
Since the war started, Paris has called for a swift end to the fighting. But the government said Friday that does not mean Paris hopes Iraq wins the war, and said that its position on who it wants to win was "totally devoid of ambiguity."
The interpretation of Villepin's statements to suggest he was silent because he really wanted Iraq to win was a perfect and repugnant example of scapegoating France.
According to a story run in the Vancouver Sun this morning, Chirac is presently receiving rather favorable poll results amongst the French. How favorable? Unmatched in the history of polling in France.
I believe the French gentleman, though unhappy with the prospect, fully accepts that the US will fully and successfully prosecute this war. He is not alone in wishing that not take long.
To follow up on blatham - and in answer to anyone who still feels the need to seek out ulterior motives as far afield as suez to explain president chirac's opposition to the US decision to go to war:
"Thanks to the question-Iraq Jacques Chirac is now the most popular president France has ever had - 75 percent of the French is positive about him. With that score Chirac breaks the record of his spiritual father, Charles de Gaulle, who in 1960 came to 74 percent. The socialist Mitterrand, in the fourteen years he was president, never got more than a 61% approval rating, in 1986.
The unity of the French public opinion is further underlined by an opinion poll about the war: no less than 92 percent of the French agrees with Chirac."
from
http://www.volkskrant.nl/buitenland/1048831767540.html
WARNING: This is a joke. c.i.
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Subject: Fireworks
French Ban Fireworks at Euro Disney (AP), Paris, March 26th, 2003
The French Government announced today that it is imposing a ban on the use of fireworks at Euro Disney.
The decision comes the day after a nightly fireworks display at
the park, located just 30 miles outside of Paris, caused soldiers at
a nearby French Army garrison to surrender to a group of Czech tourists.
Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, Craven. But I don't have time to haunt this site all the time.
No, that was not my intent.
My intent was to give you an opportunity to explain your silly comment about a war that is started with "due process".
There is no such animal, you want to be off- putting and dismissive, that is your perogative, it IS your site youknow.......
max
The suggestion you make in the last sentence of your post to Craven is both inaccurate and covertly malicious. Further, where Craven's posts on this site are notable for their relevance to the topic, their well-reasoned argumentation, and their civility, yours are notable for the lack of such.
No biggie, here ... but blanket statements tend to be "One size fits badly"
maxsdadeo wrote:Sorry for not getting back to you sooner, Craven. But I don't have time to haunt this site all the time.
No, that was not my intent.
My intent was to give you an opportunity to explain your silly comment about a war that is started with "due process".
There is no such animal, you want to be off- putting and dismissive, that is your perogative, it IS your site youknow.......
This not being your site doesn't stop you from calling posts silly without backing up the statement. Max, this isn't going to work. I have not used my ownership of the site to gain any debating advantage over you and you know this. If you want to respond to the points I made feel free to do so. Trying to play the "big brother" card is not relevant.
Fair enough, I was trying to induce you to provide one example of a war that had been "started with due process".
An interesting phrase to use when referring to a war.
Not that there hasn't been one, mind you, I just can't think of one, could you help me out by providing one?
Thanks in advance.
I would say Kosovo, Bosnia-Hercegovina and even Gulf War I were duly processed Wars.
No, bill, we are talking about "starting wars".
Gulf War 1 "started" with Saddam invading Kuwait, is that your idea of "due process"?
But thanks for trying!
I can see where this leads, in a hurry - so I bow out gracefully!~
max,
Gulf war 1 started with coalition bombs raining down on Baghdad.
Saddam's invasion of Kuwait was not Gulf War 1. It did, however, precipitate it.
Now if you want to split hairs with me and call it all one war that's fine. But the way the coalition was formed to deal with Saddam then is what is relevant. Back then it was done in a way that I support 100%.
This time around it was conducted very differently, I trust you can appreciate the vast difference.
But I understand your point. If there is a war at all something went wrong.
That is what war is about, surely. 'Continuation of policy by other means' as Clausewitz would put it. Yet there are international rules that do allow for evaluation of which war follows the 'due process' and which does not. But that would only work if we would all agree to observe international law. If international law is not valid, what is? Is it the state of war of all against all, homo homini lupus?
Yes, Craven, I can.
Thanks for the clarification.
I'll let you get back to being busy now.
