Posted on 11/03/2004 4:29:00 PM PST by ambrose
Chirac congratulates Bush on re-election
AFP: 11/3/2004
PARIS, Nov 3 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac on Wednesday congratulated US President George W. Bush on his re-election, saying he hoped Bush's second term would be a chance to reinforce Franco-US relations.
"On behalf of France, and on my personal behalf, I would like to express to you my most sincere congratulations for your re-election to the presidency of the United States of America," Chirac wrote in a letter to Bush.
"I hope that your second term will provide an opportunity to reinforce the Franco-American friendship," the French leader said, according to his office.
"It's in the spirit of dialogue, of mutual esteem and respect that our cooperation, our common fight against terrorism and the actions we are leading together to promote liberty and democracy must continue to develop," he said.
Bush, the incumbent Republican, defeated Democratic challenger John Kerry after a hard-fought campaign. Kerry called Bush to concede after holding out for hours for a miracle win in the key battleground state of Ohio.
The US and French presidents have had a less than warm relationship since Bush elected to go to war in Iraq last year, an invasion staunchly opposed by Chirac.
But Chirac said in his letter to his US counterpart: "We can only find satisfactory solutions to the numerous challenges with which we are confronted today through a close transatlantic partnership."
The French leader told Bush he believed that the two shared the "ambition to bring peace, security and prosperity to as many people as possible, in a spirit of solidarity".
"I'm convinced that together, we can achieve this," Chirac concluded.
Before Tuesday's election, opinion polls showed as many as 90 percent of French people wanted a win for Kerry -- a reaction sparked by the bitter split between Washington and Paris over the Iraq war.
Throughout the US presidential campaign, Chirac refrained from voicing a preference for either Bush or Kerry.
Despite the simmering transatlantic tensions, the Elysee insisted that Paris and Washington never broke off contact, and that the personal relationship between Chirac and Bush remained in working order.
11/03/2004 19:32 GMT - AFP
Chirac can stick his congratulations where the sun don't shine!
Bloody Frogs!
To which Bush responded "Who is this?"
(Ambrose, thanks for your great threads today.)
W should tell him to blow it out his . . . . well, you get the idea.
Beware of friends like Chirac.
how do you say "Shove it" in french?
RETURN TO SENDER--DELIVERY REFUSED
Jacques, you are as irrelevent as Saddam Hussein and Yassir Arafat; and just as dangerous.
Bugger off, as the Brits say....
Chirac also said "Oh, by the way, I hope you aren't pissed about us arming the Iraqis up to and even after the U.S. went to war there."
Bush should have just said "thank you for your kind words and could you just let me know your present coordinates."
Such a two face. In public, our best friend, behind closed doors, our worst enemy. The bottom line is they hat our President, and by extension, us.
France harbors terrorists.
France harbors terrorists.
France harbors terrorists.
France harbors terrorists.
France harbors terrorists.
France harbors terrorists.
His "congratulation" was about as sincere as Kerry's lecture...er, um...concession today.
Blow it out your ass, Frenchie! And go bathe, you stink!
To quote the infamous Ta-ray-za: Shove It!
The scum should have just written "why won't you take my calls"
to hell with Chiraq and France
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.