Posted on 02/12/2003 4:00:57 PM PST by knighthawk
PARIS (Reuters) - France assured Turkey Wednesday that it would help defend it if there was a war in neighboring Iraq, even though Paris vetoed NATO defense planning proposals this week.
French President Jacques Chirac telephoned Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer to pledge support and protection in the event of war, his spokeswoman said.
"Chirac assured the Turkish president of France's full solidarity and said France would fulfill its obligations if Turkey was threatened," spokeswoman Catherine Colonna quoted Chirac as telling Sezer.
Chirac told Sezer France's decision to veto NATO planning to protect Turkey in case of war did not jeopardize Paris's solidarity with Ankara.
Sezer told Chirac -- who has repeatedly said military action in Iraq should be a last resort -- that he also backed a peaceful solution to the crisis in Iraq, which the United States accuses of harboring banned weapons of mass destruction.
France, Germany and Belgium Monday vetoed proposals for NATO to make plans for defending Turkey on the grounds that such a move could send a signal that diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis were over.
Earlier Wednesday, France shot down a compromise aimed at breaking the NATO deadlock over Turkey, dashing hopes for a swift end to a dispute that is damaging the Western alliance.
Diplomats say the three doves are unlikely to budge until after chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix reports to the Security Council Friday.
The French and German foreign ministers held talks in Paris, and both later met Chirac. The two foreign ministers reaffirmed their wish for U.N. inspections in Iraq to be stepped up and their opposition to a war, a diplomatic source said.
France, Germany and Russia joined forces earlier this week to call for reinforced arms inspections in Iraq and for all possible peaceful means to be tried to eliminate any banned weapons Iraq may possess. Iraq denies possessing such weapons.
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, in an interview with the magazine Paris Match released Wednesday, said: "We are defending a good cause. It's a matter of considering war as a final decision which can only be taken when all other forms of pressure have been tried."
If people want on or off this list, please let me know.
That's a bit like my Boston Terrier saying she will protect my Boxer from neighborhood cats.
Ahmet: Hailo?
Jacques: Yais, vee vill defend-a-vous you from zee Ilakees.
Ahmet: Who is dis?
Jacques: Fear not. It eez I; Jacques, heir of Napoleon, leader of zee French. Vee vill defend-a-vous you.
Ahmet: The French? The French will defend the Turks? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! (tears streaming down face) BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Now everyone in Turkey can sleep peacefully, after all, the french will protect them. What a joke, the french protecting anything or anyone, perhaps they, the french, are the only ones in the world that take them, the french, seriously.
That quickly? Well, they do tend to surrender quickly! ;-)
Actually, I believe that France is simply talking out of both sides of its mouth. "We won't help Turkey defend itself!" appeals to the pro-Iraq muslim contingent, while this new "We'll protect Turkey in event of war" comment is just what the pro-Turkey muslims want to hear. Never mind the fact that the two are fully contradictory.
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