France Says Iraq Should Destroy Banned Missiles (Are the weasels starting to wheeze?)

Reuters ^ | 2/23/03

[areafiftyone]

PARIS (Reuters) - Iraq should meet its international obligations and destroy banned missiles, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said in a newspaper interview released on Sunday.

"It is necessary for Iraq to act and meet its obligations, in this case the destruction of these prohibited missiles," he told Le Figaro newspaper.

He said Baghdad should also destroy chemical and biological warfare materials if U.N. inspectors proved Iraq still had them. Baghdad has denied possessing such weapons.

French government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope told French Europe No 1 radio that Iraq must comply with the demands.

"France does not show any kind of particular leniency with regard to Iraq. There is no question of that," Cope said.

[cyberaxe]

"France does not show any kind of particular leniency with regard to Iraq. There is no question of that," Cope said.

.....bwa ha ha ha.....

[Semper Paratus]

Pretty boy de Villepin and Chirac realize that if the UN is marginalized the stage they are standing on will vanish.

[magellan]

And if they don't?

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

["France does not show any kind of particular leniency with regard to Iraq. There is no question of that," Cope said.]

BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

STOP IT! STOP IT!!! YOU'RE KILLIN ME!

[Howie66]

Phuque France.

Like anybody really gives a rats ass what the Frogs have to say.

[UncleSamUSA]

I ditto that ".....bwa ha ha ha....."

In a week Saddam will send a message to his poodle, Hans Blix, saying "We honestly intend to destroy a missle or two at some point in the undetermined future" and then Surrender Monkey Villepin will jump up and down and shout "See, they've started to destroy all the missiles. Now lets give them 12 more years to finish the job."

[SwinneySwitch]

"Baghdad should also destroy chemical and biological warfare materials if U.N. inspectors proved Iraq still had them."

They should be destroyed, PERIOD!

"France does not show any kind of particular leniency with regard to Iraq. There is no question of that,"

I think there are a lot of questions, MonSewer.

[kesg]

"France does not show any kind of particular leniency with regard to Iraq. There is no question of that," Cope said.

Both statements are lies, and he knows it.

[putupon]

and destroy banned missiles, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin

Yeah, people have been saying the French should bathe for years too, but it will never happen unless someone gives them a "GI shower".

[WOSG]

uh huh ... so if Iraq doesnt do it, France can flip to being for disarming Iraq militarily and make it seem like THEY are the ones in charge wrt UN! Brilliant move France! Anything to steal the limelight, humilaite the US and then seem maganimous! (And poor Powell will still have to govel for the pesky support of this weenie country.)

Of course, if Iraq *does* comply, France can say that it was French 'resolve' (and not 200,000 US troops in theatre) that made the difference... gies them cover to drag on inspections for more time and stymie US resolutions.

I am REALLY hoping for Iraq to miss this opportunity. C'mon Saddam, you've blown it before, you can blow it again.

PS. NOTE HOW QUIET US AND UK ARE ON THIS. WE DONT GIVE A HOOT ABOUT SOME MISSILES LIKE THIS 120 MILES VS. 90 MILES, BFD, WE WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE VX GAS AND ANTHRAX STOCKPILeS ARE. THIS IS A SIDESHOW.

[areafiftyone]

snicker snicker!

[knak]

I assume they already have first hand knowledge that Iraq IS going to destroy them if they are saying this.

[Caipirabob]

I go with the group of Freepers who applaud this scripted event the UN and Iraq have staged over this missiles.

Iraq will kick and scream, then turn them over in the interest of cooperation. The UN will say "See! Disarmament is working!" and blast the US for it's military buildup, resisting any attempt at military enforcement for Iraq to disarm. Bad Americans!

What does Iraq care about conventional missiles when it can deploy Bio/Chem WMDs via terrorist cells (read: useful idiots)?

[UncleSamUSA]

President Bush in his press conference yesterday with Spanish PM Aznar played down the issue of the destruction of the missiles, saying that the missiles "are just the tip of the iceberg" and going on to say that IF the Saddomite does destroy some missiles why then doesn't he just go ahead and destroy ALL of his WMD?

That will be the US response in case the Saddomite tries a "destroy a few missiles to ease the pressure" gambit.

[cyberaxe]

.....i think that there are already plans to destroy those missles.....

.....not Iraq's plans.....

.....but the kind that are loaded into JDAMS.....

[tomahawk]

This is another conspiracy between the perfidious French and Saddam. He will destroy the missiles and France will say, "See, les inspections are working". COMPLETE BS.

[Domestic Church]

"Pretty boy de Villepin and Chirac..."

Took them long enough to wake up and smell the coffee, didn't it! I still hope the 2nd resolution fizzles and the UN is dumped into the East River. It's poisoning us.