Posted on 09/27/2004 11:43:06 AM PDT by CT
No French or German turn on Iraq
By Jo Johnson in Paris, Betrand Benoit in Berlin and James Harding in Washington
Published: September 26 2004 21:13 | Last updated: September 26 2004 21:13
French and German government officials say they will not significantly increase military assistance in Iraq even if John Kerry, the Democratic presidential challenger, is elected on November 2.
Mr Kerry, who has attacked President George W. Bush for failing to broaden the US-led alliance in Iraq, has pledged to improve relations with European allies and increase international military assistance in Iraq.
"I cannot imagine that there will be any change in our decision not to send troops, whoever becomes president," Gert Weisskirchen, member of parliament and foreign policy expert for Germany's ruling Social Democratic Party, said in an interview.
"That said, Mr Kerry seems genuinely committed to multilateralism and as president he would find it easier than Mr Bush to secure the German government's backing in other matters."
Even though Nato last week overcame members' long-running reservations about a training mission to Iraq and agreed to set up an academy there for 300 soldiers, neither Paris nor Berlin will participate.
Michel Barnier, the French foreign minister, said last week that France, which has tense relations with interim prime minister Iyad Allawi, had no plans to send troops "either now or later".
That view reflects the concerns of many EU and Nato officials, who say the dangers in Iraq and the difficulty of extricating troops already there could make European governments reluctant to send personnel, regardless of the outcome of the US election.
A French government official said: "People don't expect that much would change under a Kerry administration, even if things can only get better. We do not anticipate a sudden honeymoon in the event Kerry replaces Bush.
"A lot depends on who is in power in both Washington and Baghdad. If there's change in both countries then it's possible we would re-examine our position, but I don't expect a massive change either way."
A German government spokesman declined to comment on the outcome of the US presidential election. But the feeling in Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's office is that, if anything, Berlin is growing less rather than more likely to change its mind as security conditions deteriorate in Iraq.
Mr Schröder would also be unlikely to renege on his 2002 electoral commitment not to send troops as a new general election looms in 2006.
There is no sign that the German public, which loathes the US president, would accept risking German lives to salvage what is widely seen as Mr Bush's botched war.
In fact, high-ranking German officials are privately concerned at the prospect of Mr Kerry becoming president, arguing it would not change US demands but make it more difficult to reject them.
Both France and Germany, however, have said they would contribute to the reduction of Iraq's debt and participate in economic and environmental development programmes. Berlin already trains Iraqi security forces outside Iraq and France has said it would do so.
Mr Kerry is expected to make Mr Bush's record of alienating foreign capitals and undermining US credibility in the world one of the chief arguments on Thursday night when he confronts the president in the first presidential debate.
The televised debate, which is expected to be watched by more than the 46.6m people who watched the debate in 2000, will focus on foreign policy and national security.
In a speech hammering Mr Bush for his decision to lead the US into Iraq, Mr Kerry said last week that in Afghanistan "I will lead our allies to share the burden."
He continued: "the Bush administration would have you believe that when it comes to our allies, it won't make a difference who is president. They say the Europeans won't help us, no matter what. But I have news for President Bush: just because you can't do something, doesn't mean it can't be done."
The German government continues to oppose sending troops to Iraq under any circumstance.
Berlin was one of Europe's most vocal opponents of the invasion of Iraq and, with sizeable forces in the Balkan and Afghanistan, it has also argued its troops are overstretched.
Although the government did not oppose Nato's decision to start training inside Iraq, it still thinks the deployment is counter- productive.
"Nato personnel will become targets for attacks," one official said on Sunday..
now we need the main stream sKerry media to talk about this...
not a prob. kerry said that he would MAKE our allies pitch in and help. mayhaps by sheer force of personality. (the thought that personality might be one of lurch's ASSETS is funny in itself!)
I was listening to one of the Kerry talking heads yesterday and he was siting these 3rd world countires like Brunai and Mexico who they would get to send troops. The interviewer started laughing.
He can't be boxed in, he has a "secret plan" - He also spoke to foreign leaders who want him in office...
this is not a surprise.
I have faith that Kerry will get Monaco and Gibralter on board.
Here in America we have a word for that kind of person.
Coward.
Shalom.
Fantastic, even when it comes to the relation with foreign leaders Kerry will follow France's lead. It looks like a vote for Kerry is a vote for Chirac.
So even if we do elect a cheese-eating surrender monkey to the White House, the French & the Germans will still tell us to kiss their ass? Time to close our bases and pull out. Let them defend themselves from the Saracen hordes when they invade Europe again.
Hey, Dan? Dan Rather! Why aren't you covering this story? No forgery skills needed. They admitted it!
I smell an exit strategy for Iraq. We let word get out that if a Shia government were set up in France and a Sunni government set up in Germany that we would recognize them.
Shalom.
These weasels have some nerve, not only do they hate Pres. Bush, but also Prime Ministe Allawi; as the french said: Only if there is a change in Washinton AND Baghdad, we will not send any troops.
Nobody in the world except possibly Kerry thought they would.
Botoxed in, MAYBE...
Gibraltar belongs to the UK. You must be thinking of the military powerhouse Andorra.
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