US Military Foils French Attempts To Broker "back door deal" With Terrorist Kidnappers

Debka ^ | 10/04/04

[LarkNeelie]

Immediately after Malbrunot and Chesnot were abducted, President Jacques Chirac launched an intense effort to secure their freedom. At the same time, he saw a chance not only of circumventing the US authorities in Baghdad, but torpedoing a potential Washington-Damascus rapprochement over joint military border action. To this end he took three steps:

1. He formed a special panel at the Elysee Palace of French intelligence officers and diplomatic advisers with good connections in Arab countries, such as the former UN secretary general Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who is well remembered in Washington for his contribution to the 1993 American military debacle in Somalia and the 1995 disruptions he staged in Bosnia with French intelligence.

A second panel went up in the French foreign ministry.

Both panels were mandated to explore every channel and connection for securing the two journalists’ release with the exception of American officials in Washington or Baghdad and circles identified with the Iyad Allawi government.

[Inge C]

It did not go according to Chirac's pla, which is good, othereise he would have bragged that he can avoid dealing with the Coalition and Pime Minister allawi. What weasel, Kerry and him should get married. Besides, Chriac considers the insurgents and terrorists in Iraq 'his allies'

[gpapa]

Already posted at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1234383/posts

[Robert357]

While if view "Debka" as a questionable "source," I do hope that the French do try something bizare like trying to smuggle in a shipment of arms or money to the kidnappers and that they get caught.

I would love to read about French national operatives residing in a prison cell in Gitmo Cuba being held as enemy combatants.

The French would then need to go through US diplomatic channels.

[Billthedrill]

Interesting take (even if it is Debka; they do occasionally get it right). Briefly it's that the French were trying to run a deal without telling the guys who owned the air cover, and that when we saw the convoy of white Nissan trucks we bombed it thinking it was smugglers and crooks, which, of course, is precisely what it was. Chirac's boys have since disavowed any knowledge of the forward team in charge.

Could be. But we did surround the convoy and didn't find anybody French. If the bad guys got away with the hostages you'd think we'd have heard another offer by now. It's pretty obvious it's a kidnapping for profit.

[NavVet]

As Nelson the Simpsons character would say,

"Haa Haaaa"

[Chode]