Divided, France Welcomes and Condemns Qaddafi

The New York Times ^ | December 11, 2007 | ELAINE SCIOLINO

[Cincinna]

Redemption, at last,seems to have come for Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

The veteran Libyan leader began a five-day official visit to France on Monday — his first in more than three decades. His French hosts even pitched his heated Bedouin-style tent for receiving guests in the garden of the Paris mansion that houses visiting dignitaries.

But the visit was sharply criticized, even within the ranks of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s government.

“Colonel Qaddafi must understand that our country is not a doormat on which a leader, terrorist or not, can come to wipe the blood of his crimes off his feet,” France’s secretary of state for human rights, Rama Yade, said in an interview in Monday’s issue of the newspaper Le Parisien. “France must not receive this kiss of death.”

Calling the timing of Colonel Qaddafi’s visit on World Human Rights Day “scandalously powerful,” Ms. Yade added of Libya: “People disappear in this country, and no one knows what has become of them. The press is not free. Prisoners are tortured. The death penalty has been abolished for Libyans but it is still used for sub-Saharan Africans.”

She told RTL radio that she would be attending the annual dinner at the International Federation of Human Rights in the evening — not the dinner in the colonel’s honor at the Élysée Palace, to which she had not been invited anyway.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, a long-time human rights activist, said he would not attend the Élysée dinner either. “By happy coincidence,” Mr. Kouchner explained, he had another commitment. The Foreign Ministry said he was having dinner with his German counterpart.

After meeting with Colonel Qaddafi in the afternoon, Mr. Sarkozy told reporters he had insisted to the Libyan that “it was necessary to continue to move forward on the path of human rights.”

[Cincinna]

Mr. Sarkozy also replied to his critics, saying, “It is rather beautiful the principle that consists in not getting yourself wet, not taking risks,” he said, and “being so certain of everything you think while you’re having your latte on the Boulevard Saint-Germain.”

[Westlander]

[SF Republican]

But the visit was sharply criticized, even within the ranks of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s government. - this minister is a 32 black, female, I liked her attitude; while watching this on the news last night I asked my wife (my french is pretty bad) if Sarko had chastised her - she said no, not yet.

[Cincinna]

The Nay-Sayers are all on the Left.. members of the Socialist Party brought in to the Sarko government for balance.

They forget to mention that Khaddafi , thanks to pressure from the Bush administration, says they renounced terrorism, gave up their nuclear weaspon ambitions, and their biological weapons.

Khaddafi was the manactually responsible for the liberation of the Bulgarian nurses . Where was the Socialist Left when these women were rotting in jail for 8 years? Drinking their cafe at Cafe Flore one would presume.

Sarko is a man of action, a man who keeps his promises.

Isn’t this what we want...Terrorists to lay down their arms and become part of the civilized world ?

Shouldn’t we give Khaddafi the benefit of the doubt until he proves us mistaken?

[Cincinna]

Rama Yade is a Socialist, and she spouts Socialist Party talking points.

She is regarded as a curiousity in France, and may get taken down a notch in the near future.

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Give me a friggin break - a tent? Bwahahahahaha.

This wasn’t mentioned but maybe the trip is a quid pro quo for letting out the hostages that Cecilia negotiated. Hmmmm?

There was one an old time AFL-CIO type who was supposed to have said - “I don’t know much Latin but there are three words I do know - Quid Pro Quo”.

Thanks.

[Cincinna]

Khaddafi is putting on quite a sgow.

The oh-so-liberal and politically correct Socialist newspaper, le Monde, as this headline:

“Une ‘relation’ à 10 milliards de dollars vaut-elle une tente dans le cœur de Paris ?”

Is a 10 billion dollar deal justify a tent in the center of Paris?

Looks like le Monde doesn’t even realize how totally elitist and racist they are.

[Cincinna]

US gives blessing to France-Libya nuclear deal

According to Breitbart.com :

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071211142156.1dd1q31d&show_article=1

US gives blessing to France-Libya nuclear deal

The United States gave its blessing Monday to a civilian nuclear energy deal between France and Libya, saying it expected its former foe to respect its decision to renounce weapons of mass destruction. “In light of Libya’s historic decision in 2003 to rid itself of its WMD programs, we expect any cooperation with Libya on a peaceful secure and responsible use of nuclear power to be consistent with the highest standard of non-proliferation,” said Kurtis Cooper, a State Department spokesman.

France announced plans to sell nuclear reactors to Libya as well as 10 billion euros of trade deals, as President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomed Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi on Monday for a five-day visit.

US-Libyan relations were restored in early 2004, following a break since 1981, a few weeks after Kadhafi announced that Tripoli was abandoning efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction.

The United States announced last year a full normalization of ties, lifting Libya from a State Department list of state sponsors of terrorism and raising diplomatic relations to the level of ambassadors.

[Mojohemi]

I remember the day Ronald Reagan put Christ in Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi’s life. Maybe he did see the brigther side of life after Ronald introduced himself.

[xJones]

If there was an FR annual prize for providing the most off topic or useless trivia post, I'd win the award hands down every year. This is my 2007 entry, just in case FR finally starts awarding such an honor: How the hell to spell the name of Libya's dictator

For the record, here's the official Library of Congress rundown on how to spell ol' whatsisname: (1) Muammar Qaddafi, (2) Mo'ammar Gadhafi, (3) Muammar Kaddafi, (4) Muammar Qadhafi, (5) Moammar El Kadhafi, (6) Muammar Gadafi, (7) Mu'ammar al-Qadafi, (8) Moamer El Kazzafi, (9) Moamar al-Gaddafi, (10) Mu'ammar Al Qathafi, (11) Muammar Al Qathafi, (12) Mo'ammar el-Gadhafi, (13) Moamar El Kadhafi, (14) Muammar al-Qadhafi, (15) Mu'ammar al-Qadhdhafi, (16) Mu'ammar Qadafi, (17) Moamar Gaddafi, (18) Mu'ammar Qadhdhafi, (19) Muammar Khaddafi, (20) Muammar al-Khaddafi, (21) Mu'amar al-Kadafi, (22) Muammar Ghaddafy, (23) Muammar Ghadafi, (24) Muammar Ghaddafi, (25) Muamar Kaddafi, (26) Muammar Quathafi, (27) Muammar Gheddafi, (28) Muamar Al-Kaddafi, (29) Moammar Khadafy, (30) Moammar Qudhafi, (31) Mu'ammar al-Qaddafi, (32) Mulazim Awwal Mu'ammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Cincinna.

[Rutabega]

Sheesh, that’s got to make it hard to send him a Christmas card. :) (I’d give you an award if I could sift through the html sandbox and figure out how to post pics!)