-Caveat Lector- >From http://www.iht.com/articles/69076.html
Copyright � 2002 The International Herald Tribune | www.iht.com France shifting stance on Iraq Elaine Sciolino The New York Times Thursday, August 29, 2002 In gesture to U.S., Paris will mute criticism on war plans PARIS In an important tactical shift, the French government has decided to stop criticizing the United States for its war planning against Iraq, according to senior French officials. It is not that the new government of President Jacques Chirac has suddenly embraced the American position that a military campaign to oust President Saddam Hussein of Iraq from power is justifiable and perhaps necessary. Rather, both Chirac and his foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, have come to the conclusion that it is wiser for France to stress areas of agreement with the United States in order to help moderate American policy and to keep open its options in case the United States decides to wage war unilaterally, the officials said. France is also eager to protect its own national interests in Iraq, including its oil trade, should the United States wage war and win, the officials added. "More and more at the highest levels people are saying, 'We don't like a military operation, but there's likely to be one, so what do we do?'" one senior French official said. "So the goal is to keep all our options open and not criticize, not to provoke a backlash. We feel that Washington is expecting us to react negatively and we have decided not to. It's a tactical choice." Another senior official put it more bluntly: "We're driving the Pentagon crazy by keeping silent." The tonal change towards the United States was reflected in a speech by Villepin that opened a conference of French ambassadors at the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. Unlike his predecessor, Hubert Vedrine, who seemed to relish any opportunity to criticize the United States, de Villepin, who lived and worked for years in Washington, stressed the positive. He spoke glowingly of American "dynamism, energy and exceptional enthusiasm," and the need for the United States and Europe to unite in a "new Euro-Atlantic partnership." As for Iraq, he branded it a regime that "defies international rules set by the Security Council, holds its people hostage and threatens security, particularly that of its neighbors." "Such behavior is not acceptable," de Villepin added. "We Europeans know too well the price of weakness in the face of dictatorship if we close our eyes and play a passive game." The emerging French strategy is to take diplomatic cover by putting any talk of war in the context of the rule of international law. Indeed, in his speech, de Villepin said that the international community must demand the unconditional return of United Nations inspectors to the country, but did not say what should be the response if Iraq refused. As for waging war, he reiterated the French position that "no military action can be conducted without a decision of the Security Council." The passage on Iraq was carefully negotiated for hours inside the Foreign Ministry and with the Elysee Palace. It will be reiterated by Chirac when he delivers a speech to the ambassadors at the Elysee Palace on Thursday, according to Catherine Colonna, Chirac's spokeswoman. "For the moment, the most useful position is to remind people of the obligations of Iraq and the role of the Security Council," Colonna said. On Tuesday evening, in a meeting with ambassadors assigned to the Middle East, de Villepin was peppered with questions that underscored the delicacy of France's position. "It was a real brainstorming and shows how things are too hypothetical now to take a stand," said one participant. "People were asking, 'What do we do if the Americans come up with a UN resolution and we don't accept it? Do we take part in the drafting? Do we vote for it? If we vote for it, do we send troops?'" Other unknowns at the moment are the reaction of Arab countries if the United States decides to wage war, the goals of a military operation and how it will be conducted. "There are too many questions, so our idea is to keep the lock of the United Nations and we have one of the keys to the lock and not say too much," said one official. In his speech, de Villepin did not say, as other French officials have said privately, that the Iraq problem could be dealt with only after the war between Israel and the Palestinians was resolved. French officials also seem to be relieved, even bemused, that it is now the Germans who have taken the lead in taking on the Bush administration for its Iraq policy. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who is locked in a difficult re-election campaign, has said more than once that he would not allow German soldiers to fight in a war to depose Saddam Hussein. On Tuesday he described Washington's course as a mistake that was undermining UN efforts to resume weapons inspections in Iraq. Copyright � 2002 The International Herald Tribune ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A<>E<>R + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Forwarded as information only; I don't believe everything I read or send (but that doesn't stop me from considering it; obviously SOMEBODY thinks it's important) + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + "Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. 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