Posted on 11/07/2004 8:53:38 AM PST by SmithL
BIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- Machete-waving mobs looted and burned in Ivory Coast's largest cities Sunday, laying siege to a French military base and searching house to house for French families after a day of sudden clashes between forces of France and its former colony.
France's military sent helicopters to pluck trapped expatriates from buildings as other helicopters and armored vehicles moved out to confront the mobs, lobbing volleys of tear gas and percussion grenades that sent rioters fleeing.
French gunships took up positions at bridges in skyscraper-lined Abidjan on Sunday, a day after seizing control of the country's two airports and flying in 600 reinforcements.
Faced with the confrontation with France, the Ivory Coast government reluctantly moved to call off its offensive against rebels who control the northern part of the country. The government broke a more than year-old cease-fire last week by launching airstrikes against the rebels.
The government said Sunday it was willing to cease fire and that it would pull back its troops. French retaliation on Saturday for a surprise bombing of French peacekeepers destroyed Ivory Coast's tiny air force and left its airports under French control.
The government took a defiant tone toward France. Ivory Coast will ask the U.N. Security Council for action against France, presidential spokesman Desire Tagro told The Associated Press.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
That's my new tagline.
Time to sell some anti-aircraft missiles to the resistance.
France's alliance with Islamic fascism is of far more concern to America than anything going on in western Africa.
We should organize a war protest against French imperialism with all the necessary occutrements. You know, burn the french flag and Jack Iraq in effigy, signs with slogans: "No blood for coco!" and "Who can ask the last frenchmen to die for a mistake".
"I would bet that the Ivory Coast would be a far better future ally than old, dead EuroFrance, and more consistent with Western Civilization (other than Chartres and French cuisine which are France's only excuses for existence) and American values as well. I bet abortion mills are harder to find in Ivory Coast than in any French city"
Tell that to the government-appointed mobs that rampaged Abdijan to "hunt down white people" last year...if that is the "American values" and "Western Civilization" you want to foster.
Thats because it isn't composed of Frenchmen.
lulo_08 originally posted that pic here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1272962/posts?page=56#56
In post #64 he told someone it came from MSNBC. If you FReepmail him, he should be able to get you some more info.
When I visited Abidjan, Ivory Coast, I had hopes it would be the only ex french country to be good.
I was wrong.
fortheDeclaration: Thats because it isn't composed of Frenchmen.
Pointblank: Exactly, the only cambat capable fighting force they have in made up of people of other nations.
While I hope not to make a habit of defending the French, I do enjoy exchanging information and points of view.
True, most but not all of the NCO and enlisted ranks are occupied by foreigners. But, most but not all of the officers are Frenchmen. Most recently, in September I think, French officers trained some of our Marines during joint exercises at the French Foreign Legion Commando Center in Dijouti. And, to tell you the truth, I'm in great favor of recruiting our own professional mercenary force--something outside the reach of the private security firms we use now. I wonder if the Ghurkas are still interested in living the military life?
Thank you for the correction.
How amusing!
What is John F-ing Kerry's position on this war in Africa?
Insert joke here.
France has had its chance at Western Civilization and rejected it. The possibilities of the Ivory Coast are still open. Robert Taft the Elder (not a rampaging populist) urged the US to abandon Europe in 1948 when Europe was far better off than today and urged us to engage the Third World which still had not rejected freedom.
Personally, I hopethat France falls again. This time, we should sit back and laugh at their fate and ignore their pleas. Let 'em learn Arabic.
Gallia delenda est.
The French are trying to rule the world. They are killing people left and right on The Ivory Coast. The U.N. should step in and put a stop to this barbarism. Are Germany and Russia going to send troops to help them?
Didn't the US send a few thousand troops into this country sometime last year to get US people out of there?
To make it easier, attached the unformated article.
A Letter to America By MICHEL BARNIER November 8, 2004; Page A14
I am writing to you as a friend of America. When I think of your great nation, the words "peace," "freedom" and "prosperity" come to mind. Together we have tirelessly promoted these ideals, which underpin our democracies, and -- particularly in the dark hours since September 11 -- we have relentlessly fought the terrorist threat that jeopardizes them.
I am writing to you as the citizen of a country that helped your country secure its own independence and later received your help, as faithful allies and liberators. The ceremonies of the 60th anniversary of D-Day were a stunning tribute to the American soldiers who fell in Normandy to win our freedom and that of Europe. Our destinies are intertwined. History demonstrates this, and economics proves it: two-thirds of your direct investment abroad are made in Europe, and Europe accounts for 75% of foreign direct investment in the U.S. In 2003, our exchange of goods and services approached $400 billion. France is the largest investor in U.S. stocks after the U.K. These investments represent about 650,000 U.S. jobs.
Because of all the things that connect us, I'm concerned about the campaigns against my country, and the recent surge of "French-bashing." There's a paradox here, since France is actually among your best friends in the fight against terrorism. Our intelligence experts work hand in hand and French special forces fight by your side in Afghanistan. Likewise, France is one of your most solid partners within the Atlantic Alliance. It heads NATO's operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan. It is the second-largest contributor to the NATO Reaction Force. In the end, the most inaccurate clichés are obscuring the most obvious truths. It is time to put a stop to it.
More generally, I'm concerned to see both Americans and Europeans expressing doubts over the future of transatlantic relations, and I'm troubled to see that Europe is misunderstood, if not scorned, in the U.S. The European Union is changing. It has opened to the East. Soon, I hope, it will have a Constitution that will make its institutions more effective and legitimate. It is in America's interest that Europe asserts itself as a powerful, reliable partner. As President Kennedy once said, the U.S. should see "in such a Europe a partner with whom we could deal on a basis of full equality."
Indeed, we have so much to do together to promote democracy, security and development. In the Middle East, first of all, where Europeans have long been involved. Let us recognize without animosity that the war in Iraq deeply divided us. The facts have been established and History will decide. But the important thing now is to turn Iraq into a real success story. France has no other aim. It will not send troops there but it is ready to help train Iraqi security forces and resolve the debt problem, and more broadly, to help prepare Iraq for elections in January.
We must also break the deadlock in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is the matrix of a number of other conflicts, and serves as the pretext for numerous acts of terrorism. Let us not leave this situation unresolved and the Middle East without a future. Let us revive the Road Map and reactivate the Quartet. We must be ready to accompany any effort in this direction with financial support, but also with an international presence on the ground.
Iran is another priority. Out of concern for developments in the Iranian nuclear program, the Europeans have launched an initiative to obtain all the necessary guarantees from Tehran. This balanced proposal will have a greater chance of success if it enjoys firm American support. Alone, we run the risk of failure. Together we can succeed.
Elsewhere, we must continue working side by side: in Afghanistan, to consolidate that nascent democracy; in Africa, which brings together so many of the challenges of today's world; in the Balkans, so that its countries can complete their transition toward European-Atlantic institutions; and in Haiti, to put an end to the infernal cycle of poverty and instability.
Because we have common interests everywhere, we should have common ambitions. This is why I believe we must give a new impetus to our political relations. When it comes to defense and trade, instruments of cooperation already exist and work well. There's no need to invent new ones. The political dialogue between the EU and the U.S., on the other hand, is insufficient. The time has come to give it more substance. The U.S. election and the signing of the first European Constitution, now in the process of ratification, offer an opportunity to give new momentum to our political partnership. The Europeans, and the French first among them, are waiting for this. Why not convene a high-level group right now, consisting of independent, respected figures from both sides of the Atlantic to explore ways in which we can deepen our political cooperation?
America needs a capable, responsible Europe. And Europe needs a strong America, engaged in world affairs. Transatlantic cooperation has always been an essential condition for peace. Today, in a world that has become more unstable and more dangerous, our alliance is more necessary than ever. Let us make sure that it is able to meet the challenges that await us. Mr. Barnier is foreign minister of France.
ROFLMAO!
Chirac: Qui est-ce le "wood?"
Maybe that's why they're so cranky?
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