Posted on 11/06/2004 4:22:07 PM PST by forty_years
9 French troops and a U.S. citizen were killed when Ivory Coast fighter planes bombed a rebel position in the north of that country. The French have hit back, destroying 5 Ivorian helicopters and 2 bombers near the capital city of Yamoussoukro. Ivorians aren’t happy with France’s reprisals. Angry mobs are rioting, looting French properties, and yelling “Everybody get your Frenchman!” and “French go home!” Well, well, well, isn’t France’s criticism of the U.S. Coalition presence in Iraq a bit like the pot calling the kettle black? Listen to the French government’s words, as reported by the BBC:
President Jacques Chirac ordered the "immediate destruction of Ivorian military aircraft used in recent days in violation of the ceasefire". …
French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said her country held Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo "personally responsible" for public order in his country. …
Without giving details of the airport attack, the [French] defence ministry said the army had "responded in a situation of legitimate defence" and was seeking "the immediate end of combat".
Pretty strong words from a country that claims “France was against this [Iraq] war because this war was not necessary.” Is France’s presence in the Ivory Coast “necessary?” Are French “peacekeepers” in the Ivory Coast there strictly for humanitarian reasons, or do business interests play a part?
Mon ami, President Chirac, can you spell “Najaf,” “Sadr City,” or “Fallujah?” When U.S. sons and daughters get killed trying to bring democracy to Iraq, what should we do, sit on our hands? Your good buddy, Kofi Annan, is warning Americans not to clean up Fallujah just as you are cleaning up the Ivorian air force. Monsieur Chirac, vous êtes un hypocrite.
The U.S.’ reasons for going to war in Iraq were crystal clear. No WMD’s in Iraq? Some were found. The rest are probably in Syria, France’s traditional ally. Iraq weapons inspector David Kay found all sorts of evidence that Saddam was violating U.N. restrictions on WMD development. Kay's team found organic precursors for biological weapons. They found "suspected mobile biological agent laboratories." Kay's team found evidence that Saddam's goons were working on ballistic missile systems with ranges far in excess of the U.N.-mandated limits.
The French said they believed Saddam had WMDs before the war. The UN Security Council, including France, voted unanimously on 08/11/2002 to hold “Iraq in ‘material breach’ of its obligations under previous resolutions.” The same resolution “recall[ed] [a] repeated warning of ‘serious consequences’ for continued violations” by Iraq.
No links between Saddam and al-Qaeda? Au contraire, Monsieur Chirac; click here or here to see plenty of evidence of Iraq/al-Qaeda ties -- even related to 9/11.
Well, Monsieur Chirac, you can just pound salt up your butt. President Bush just garnered the largest popular vote in U.S. history. The President received a real majority, 51% or 59,291,983 votes. We’ll do what we have to do, and we won’t ask anybody about passing a “global test” before we do.
http://netwmd.com/articles/article774.html
How long before they Surrender or ask for our help?
But now they're occupiers.
The french are looking for some clean underwear so they can raise a white flag. Small f in french intentional.
Did Monsieur Chirac check with the UN before taking unilateral action against the Ivory Coast?
LOL!
They entered the Sudan as part of U.N. peacekeepers, now they`re raping and pillaging along with the Muslims.
I am inclined to support the French on this one. I have received an e-mail from American missionaries in Ivory Coast who are hold up in their compound with bombs going off all around them. They are fearing for their lives and are in need of our prayers. These are fellow Americans and need all the protection they can get. Pray for them and African believers.
I am inclined to support the French on this one. I have received an e-mail from American missionaries in Ivory Coast who are hold up in their compound with bombs going off all around them. They are fearing for their lives and are in need of our prayers. These are fellow Americans and need all the protection they can get. Pray for them and African believers.
BTTT
Whenever disorders that threaten British and French interests in their former colonies, they act with force without going to the UN. Only the US (when a Republican is in the White House) must go through the UN and let them decide how we use our forces, even when we're responding to a terrorist attack on our soil.
Of course it is. Unilateral means 'without France'. Therefore France is not acting unilaterally. Simple. :)
as much as I`d like to agree with you, and as much as I`d like to side with France just to show them that we`re better than them and we`ll defend them AGAIN, I say stay out of it until we have to do something. A question; how do I post a pic I created with no url to link to? I don`t have a personal web site and I don`t know anyone who does.
Your post makes me wonder... If we would have just acted without trying to go the UN to begin with, would the rhetoric be any worse? We were foolish to try and acheive allies this way, it only gave us grief. Maybe we can chalk it up as a hard lesson learned. I don't think we will be checking with the UN on anything like that in the near future. They have become irrelevant to us, which is everything in the world. I think they will eventually go the way of the league of nations. Perhaps if we would not have tried to court the UN on this things would be different?
You want us to "back" the French imperialist? The same France that had a sweetheart deal with Saddam? Better clear your throat again.
There has been little reporting of it, but French and US Special Ops have been cooperating all over North Africa for quite some time.
Since the toppling of Saddam, we have been criticized by the UN for violating international law, but at the same time, we've been asked to do something about Sudan and Iran. We continue to expose their inneptness.
I think france is struggling for their place in a Europe that is diminishing in importance compared to emerging Asia.
Instead of france demanding that we bend towards them, it is time they reach out to America.
The next 20 years are going to be tough for europe. Better humbly join the team, Jock.
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