Posted on 08/03/2004 12:24:27 PM PDT by anotherview
Aug. 3, 2004 21:09
Polish leader: France sees us as threat
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
Poland's recent entry into the European Union is viewed by France as a threat to its domination over Europe, and relations between the two countries are likely to remain sour for years, the Polish opposition leader said.
"France does not believe it is one of the centers of Europe. They believe that they are the leaders of Europe and that everybody should recognize this," the head of the Polish center-right Civic Platform Party, Jan Rokita, said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post in his office in the Polish parliament.
According to public opinion polls, Rokita heads what is now the most popular political party in Poland, making him a leading prime ministerial candidate in Poland's next general elections, scheduled to take place by next year.
In the interview, Rokita, 45, said that Poland's entry to the EU was perceived by the French as a danger to their "monopoly over Europe."
"France is scared and right to be scared that the recent enlargement of the EU will make their monopoly of opinion weaker," he said. "They cannot feel so self-confident among the 25 countries [of the EU] when a group of them do not esteem France so much, and especially when a group of these new-comers thinks that the route of their security lies with the US."
Relations between Poland and France reached a nadir last year when French President Jacques Chirac derided Central and Eastern European countries – including Poland – for signing letters expressing their support for American policy in Iraq. Chirac castigated them for having "missed an opportunity to keep quiet."
Although efforts have since been made to reduce the tensions, the differences of opinion between the two states resurfaced earlier this year in a bitter dispute over Polish voting rights on the constitution that was eventually adopted by the EU in June.
"From the French point of view, enlargement of the EU with countries closely allied to America is a threat to the monopoly of [the] French view on Europe," Rokita said.
He predicted that Polish relations with France would remain tense for "quite a long time" irrespective of who is in power in France, arguing that beyond the altercations with Chirac there is a deeper difference of interests regarding the region and the world.
In the interview, Rokita said that he believed the enlargement of the EU would create ever-growing political interests between Poland and Israel, and he predicted that French policy will be less and less perceived as European policy.
Arguing for a more forceful and independent Polish foreign policy, Rokita said that it was a mistake for Poland to have joined the EU at the United Nations in condemning Israel's security fence. He said Poland should have abstained in the vote.
"The current Polish government is scared of too many disputes with the EU," he said, adding that the vote was more of an "adjustment towards EU policy" and did not accurately express Poland's actual position on the issue of the fence.
Other senior Polish government officials have said that the decision to vote against the fence was made out of a desire not to fight over a foreign policy issue that was not critical to Poland during already tense relations within the EU.
To this end, the Polish opposition leader said it would be helpful for Israel and world Jewry to stop perceiving Poland mainly as the epicenter of the Holocaust, but rather as a useful partner in shaping international politics.
No wonder the French hate this guy and the Poles in general. Imagine, wanting to support the war on terrorism and not wanting to appease the Arabs at every turn. Unthinkable!:
The French thing the European Union should be "One nation under France". They are in for some rude awakenings. Worshipping at the altar of Neville Chamberlain won't win them friends among nations who have recently thrown off Communisim.
France see's a new born bunny rabit as as a threat.
ping
well put...
France is so over as a world power. They were never much anyway after Napoleon.
Personally I like French people. I have been to France a couple of times and I never experienced anything negative such as what I have seen others write about.
I have always found French people to be polite and considerate, but I am just one person.
Still, the constant appeasement of radical islamics which really became obvious after the 1973 war has left me with generally a negative opinion of most things French. I think that Pat Buchanan had it correct in his book "The death of the west" and that France is simply terminally ill. Well, they can only blame the French for their problems as far as I am concerned.
It would be nice to see Mr. Rokita as the next leader of Poland if he will be more pro-American and pro-Israeli. One can only hope...
oh, btw, ping...
The French are upset because the Pols will not buy French surrender flags.
Sounds like the French people need to reclaim their country from the socialist and have these socialist snobs take a long walk off a short pier.
France is threatened by anyone that might stand against them since they are just a nation of spineless individuals.
I don't think you wanted to post that to me. My mother is French.
There is nothing wrong with all the French people. Most of the anti-Americanism comes from two sources: leftist intellectuals and a huge Arab-Muslim community. If you want to say Jacques Chirac is a spineless appeaser, yes, by all means.
Wouldn't it be great if France were invaded (again) and no one cared? Think about it, no more France, no more snobby little Francoweenies whining constantly. No more French language, or unwarranted delusions of Frog importance. The wine might suffer a bit, but it would be well worth it.
Dang! The more I learn about the Poles the more I appreciate their common sense.
It almost makes me want to stop making Polish jokes.
Almost?
Keep making them; we can take them :-D
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