France, Russia, China launch diplomatic counteroffensive against US, Britain

Associated Press ^ | February 8, 2003 | Associated Press Staff

[MeekOneGOP]

France, Russia, China launch diplomatic
counteroffensive against US, Britain

02/08/2003

Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS - France, Russia and China have launched a diplomatic counteroffensive against the United States and Britain, opposing a rush to war and insisting that U.N. weapons inspectors be given a chance to disarm Iraq peacefully.

While U.S. and British diplomats considered options for a new U.N. resolution authorizing military action against Iraq, the three other veto-wielding members of the Security Council demanded that inspections be given more time.

The leaders of France and China reiterated that point in phone calls to President Bush Friday, and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said his country saw no reason to go to war with Iraq now.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Sergey Lavrov added later Friday: "It's about whether we do have a threat coming from Iraq or not - absent such threat, I believe the war is unjustified."

President Bush's declaration this week that "the game is over" for Iraq galvanized the three countries, which believe Iraq can still cooperate with inspectors and avoid war.

The Russians, French, and Chinese hope that this weekend's visit to Baghdad by top U.N. inspectors Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei will produce far greater cooperation from Iraq. Blix and ElBaradei arrived in Baghdad on Saturday morning.

"We don't disagree ... on the goal: It's disarmament," France's U.N. Ambassador Jean-David Levitte said Friday on PBS' "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer." "We disagree on one issue, one issue only: what is the timing to decide to move from the inspections to the use of force."

France believes that the main threat to the country and to Europe today is from al-Qaida terrorists, not Saddam.

"Much will depend on the report of the inspectors on Feb. 14," Levitte said. "If they come back with some progress, we'll say, hey, let's continue, let's reinforce the inspections, let's have more inspectors. ... If on the contrary, they were to come back with a very negative report, then a new situation would appear."

Levitte said 10 or 11 of the 15 Security Council members favor continued inspections. Britain and the United States maintain there is no time left.

"It is a question of timing as to when you reach that point of last resort," Britain's U.N. Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock said on the same PBS program. "We've reached it. ... It's 600 weeks since we started the business of asking Iraq to disarm. And now it's time to cut the knot and take action."

One option for a new resolution would threaten war unless Saddam steps down or is removed by his own people by a certain deadline, possibly 48 hours, Security Council diplomats said Friday on condition of anonymity.

It's unlikely that this option would win enough support, but it might be presented as a starting position.

Other options include a resolution that would note negative findings from the weapons inspectors; reiterate that Iraq was in violation of its obligations; and remind Saddam that he faces "serious consequences."

That option, while not explicitly authorizing force, could garner wide support because all 15 council members would be eager to back the inspectors and keep up the pressure on Iraq to comply.

Britain's Greenstock said "it's perfectly possible" for a second resolution to get the minimum nine votes needed for adoption - and not be vetoed. But he said Britain would push for unanimous council backing to give the resolution more clout.

"The post-conflict administration of Iraq and returning it to the Iraqi people will be quicker and more trouble-free if you have broad international support," Greenstock said. "And I think the U.S. needs to give that serious consideration."

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Online at: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dallas/world/stories/020803dnintusiraq.b9946.html

[MeekOneGOP]

Well, either you are with us or you are with the Terrorists. Which is it France, Russia, and China?...

[MeekOneGOP]

[dep]

France, Russia and China have launched a diplomatic counteroffensive against the United States and Britain, opposing a rush to war and insisting that U.N. weapons inspectors be given a chance to disarm Iraq peacefully.

ah, the subtleties of liberal media bias. note that the phrase "a rush to war" is not set off by quotation marks -- it is taken by the writer to be a fact that the u.s. is engaged in "a rush to war." the writer does not consider that this "rush to war" has dragged on now for a dozen years. had we engaged in such a "rush to war" in dealing with nazi germany, world war II would have begun in 1951.

but you will note that this subtle bias is couched such that few would notice it.

typical of the media, of which i was part for many years. at cbs, where i worked, it was just that subtle: the assumptions of the left were the assumptions of the newsroom, too.

dep

[sirchtruth]

France, Russia and China have launched a diplomatic counteroffensive against the United States and Britain, opposing a rush to war and insisting that U.N. weapons inspectors be given a chance to disarm Iraq peacefully.

Seriously, can someone please explain how these malcontents think that UN weapons inspectors would do this?

[MadIvan]

I wonder if the title "The Axis of Bastards" is available for these blighters.

Regards, Ivan

[this_ol_patriot]

In other words France and the UN Troops would walk right in and take over Iraq, see how simple it would be, poor Saddam, he won't know what hit him, with these Frogs hopping around he will catch surrenderitis too.


France Said to Favor Peacekeepers in Iraq

By TONY CZUCZKA
Associated Press Writer


(AP Photo/Jassim Mohammed)
Germany and France are working on a broad disarmament plan for Iraq designed to avoid war, including the deployment of U.N. soldiers throughout the country, reconnaissance flights and a tripling of the number of weapons inspectors, a magazine reported Saturday.

The weekly Der Spiegel said the plan would have international peacekeepers "in effect take control of the country for years," declare all of Iraq a no-fly zone and lead to agreements with Iraq's neighbors to crack down on smuggled exports of Iraqi oil as part of strengthened economic sanctions.

The governments in Berlin and Paris - which are opposed to a war on Iraq - have been working on the plan since the start of the year, the report said.

A German government spokesman said Germany and France are "jointly considering specific peaceful alternatives to a military solution" in Iraq. The spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, refused to comment on details of the report.

The joint plan could be presented to the U.N. Security Council in the form of a resolution, Der Spiegel said, adding that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder sees a need to move beyond his strict anti-war stand, which has angered the United States.

As part of intensified sanctions against Iraq, Western countries would tighten export control laws, the report said. Reconnaissance flights to aid the inspectors on the ground in their search for weapons would be carried out by French Mirage IV jets.

Der Spiegel said Germany and France are sounding out other critics of the U.S. approach about their plan, including Russia, China and Greece.

[Tripleplay]

I agree.....also

that U.N. weapons inspectors be given a chance

Implies no chances have been tried before.

[Timesink]

Oh no! Not a DIPLOMATIC OFFENSIVE! God help us all! We're doomed!

[this_ol_patriot]

Guess who will take the brunt of the deaths and dirty work with that deal? This is just a way for the Frogs and Krauts to preserve their under the table deals and keep prying US eyes out of the nasty stuff they sold Iraq. I smell fear coming out of these 2 countries, fear that they may make Bush's "Axis of Evil" and their true colors be shown..

[bushfamfan]

My take on France: greed, oil deals they have that doesn't involve the US so they have more clout in keeping the USA out of it, cowardice and belief that Iraq would only target the USA and Israel, what's the big deal??!! France would let him expand Iraq's borders throughout the world and continue with his aggression-they showed that with Hitler and the USA should NEVER come to assist France ever again due to its contempt for our safety and legitimate concerns. Russia: they are still overwhelmed with their competetiveness with the USA and strive for power. Not secure enough with themselves so they want to take it out on the USA and enjoy seeing our nation be the target to drag us down. Amusement while they continue to excuse Saddam Hussein and refuse to acknowledge the wicked nature of the man who uses them as Hitler did. Not to mention greed. China: China is pre-WW2 Japan and not to be trusted. Same as Russia in that they'd enjoy the USA being damaged for their own imperialist dreams and unless they get over their madness in supporting Saddam Hussein's continued threat and some sanity in realizing it would not be nice to "live" in the madness of a concrete bunker in supporting regimes as surrogates to threaten us. All three are most likely to have done business with some of that weaponry and it is going to be evident they have been breaking rules with the embargo and show themselves to be building up Saddam's weaponry. They are all so smug to think it ok due to the US and Israel being the main targets and think they are going to tell us not to defend ourselves. They are clearly no allies and this should be evident to the administration. They aren't even sincere about the "more time for inspections" because they clearly don't care if Saddam carries on with those weapons.

[demkicker]

This is the best news EVER. Say goodbye to the UN. Now it can be officially deemed irrelevant!

[wunderkind54]

So much time, space and ink is afforded these head-in-the-sand fence-sitters.

Their opinions churn my stomach as much as the reliance of the drivel churned out by the likes of the Guardian and LeMonde.

[maestro]

Along with GERMANY,......France, Russia, China launch diplomatic counteroffensive against US, Britain

/Sarcasm?

[smokegenerator]

Iraq is a counterbalance to Iran. Why should the US help out the Iranians and Saudi govts by putting in someone we will end up forcing out as usual...Panama, Vietnam, Cuba, Afghanistan, Chili, etc...

North Korea is the real threat here, not Iraq. Iraq should be contained and used as a balance to the damn terrorist supporting countries. No wait, those countries are allied with the US in the Balkans in support of terrorist KLA group.

[merak]

We have a sort of a wolf-crying problem here. I personally agree with the US and British position that the Iraq regime should be taken down ASAP for reasons which appear sufficiently obvious.

Nonetheless Russia, France, China, and others all heard the same sort of rhetoric and talk three years ago when the Clinton/Albright team bombed a totally innocent Christian nation into the stone age for the benefit of narco terrorists and white trash and savages and to take a credible rape allegation against Clinton off the front pages of our journals, and one could forgive them for having difficulty disitnguishing that case from this one, particularly in light of the fact that the people responsible for the Kosovo operation have never been punished for it, and that that perverted policy has never been repudiated or renounced.

Moreover, if that policy is not repudiated and fairly quickly, I should imagine that it will be less than five years before we have the UN demanding that we hand the American southwest including Texas and California over to Mexico on the same crummy basis of ethnicity being everything and sovereignty being nothing.

[Lion's Cub]

From reply #16 in this thread:

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a382fed253218.htm#16

China: Army deputy chief leaves for talks in Russia, France
Xinhua
0456 gmt 14 Nov 99

Xiong Guangkai, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), left here today for a working visit to Russia and France.

Xiong is going for the visit at the invitation of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces and the Ministry of Defence of France.

Xiong is expected to hold discussions with the Russian and French sides on the situation of international strategic security and bilateral defence relations.

So 'France, Russia, China launch diplomatic counteroffensive against US, Britain' doesn't surprise me at all.

[Tamzee]

In truth, ALL other countries are irrelevant... U.S. is Saddams target, he tried to kill our president years ago and has been very vocal about wanting a "showdown" with us for years... Bin Laden already DID attack us, very violently, and Saddam would LOVE to get chem/biological weapons to Bin Laden so Saddam can help hurt us without leaving fingerprints.

WE are in the line of fire, not these sniveling, pious morons. When a lunatic has a gun to your head you don't go about getting a CONSENSUS from onlookers about whether or not you should try to disarm him... especially not from those honorable folks that are hiding behind trees.

So mad I could spit...this is ridiculous...

[Enemy Of The State]

the US and Britain should respend by launching a full scale military offensive against the above mentioned.

Anyone here about the new take designed by the frogs?

It has 1 gear for forward and 7 for reverse!

[Enemy Of The State]

ooops...thats tank, not take