Posted on 02/18/2003 4:20:27 AM PST by kattracks
WARSAW, Feb 18 (Reuters) - East European politicians accused French President Jacques Chirac on Tuesday of bully-boy tactics and rejected his demand to mute their strong backing for U.S. policy on Iraq.
"France has a right to its opinion and Poland has the right to decide what is good for it. France should respect that," Poland's deputy foreign minister Adam Rotfeld told public radio. "I would prefer if he expressed himself more politely."
"That's the way it seems," said Czech deputy foreign minister Alexandr Vondr when asked if Chirac was bullying the future EU countries.
Chirac on Monday lambasted east European states on track to join the European Union, saying they had been ill-behaved in backing Washington's determination to disarm Iraq, by force if necessary, and had missed "a great opportunity to shut up."
France's outburst will underline suspicions among the eight ex-communist states due to join the European Union next year that Paris expects them to show humble gratitude for being granted membership and wants them to accept French primacy in the bloc.
The clash will exacerbate tensions across Europe between France and Germany, which are leading opposition to U.S. policy, and states like Britain, Italy, Spain and the East Europeans who have joined to back Washington's tough stance on Baghdad.
One East European diplomat said Chirac had spoken in a tone that not even the Soviet Union would have used with its Warsaw Pact clients during its 40 year dominance of the region.
Former communist states have long been grateful to Washington for helping them throw off Moscow's dominance and for sponsoring their NATO entry drives. They had no qualms about openly backing the U.S. on Iraq, irritating Paris and Berlin.
MEMBERSHIP RISKS
Politicians said they found it particularly unsettling that France appeared to be threatening candidate states who have yet to receive entry invites and telling members-in-waiting that they were not partners but supplicants still outside the family.
Chirac also suggested enlargement might be delayed if even one of the referendums on EU entry due in candidate states in the coming months were to deliver a "No" vote.
His outburst will give ammunition to EU opponents in eastern Europe who argue they risk surrendering a liberty recently regained from Moscow to a bloc that will ignore their interests.
The candidates were irritated that current EU president Greece refused British and Spanish entreaties to invite them to Monday's EU emergency summit on Iraq, saying it showed they were not being taken seriously by some European states.
They were invited instead to a Tuesday briefing in Brussels, a substitute that many complained showed EU heavyweights France and Germany had not yet taken on board how Europe's centre of gravity will shift when its expands eastwards in 2004.
Bulgaria and Romania were told by Chirac they had put their chances of EU entry in 2007 at risk. Both have offered troops, bases and entry to their air space to the United States and Sofia has used its current Security Council seat to back Washington.
"I am surprised to find a connection being made between positions on Iraq and membership talks with the EU. Entry talks are held under strictly set rules announced in advance," complained European Integration Minister Meglena Kuneva.
Other states complained that Chirac was being unfair in criticising former Warsaw Pact states for a lack of solidarity with Europe when the European Union itself was deeply riven over Iraq.
"The EU candidates had no chance to have the same stance as the EU, because the Union itself had not agreed on a common position until yesterday," said Boris Gandel, Slovak Foreign Ministry spokesman. ((Reporting by Reuters bureau, writing by Sean Maguire,
Jaques to former Soviet Bloc countries : "Shut up and do what I say or you can't play in the samdbox with us!!"
Former Soviet Bloc countries to Jaques : "Take a hike, little man. You're threats mean qquat to us."
As my daughter said last night about Chirac's hissy fit, "France threatening anyone is an oxymoron."
An increasingly likely scenario is that Saddam will flee into exile. If that happens, who wins? Who will claim victory?
Much of EUrope is AGAIN boycotting Israeli products. In some countries, products from Israel are branded with the infamous yellow badge with a Star of David on it...so the terrorist sympathizers can choose not to buy those products.
Bye bye troll
No where close. Israel is not screwing it's allies, nor insulting our president. Germany and France are. Israel stands to lose an awful lot if war comes to Iraq...and yet stands beside the United States and the coalition of the willing. Germany and France are not. Instead they are endangering lives by irrationally trying to protect their oil and other business interests.
Who cares?
As the great one himself, Ronald Reagan, said, "There's no limit to the things you can achieve if you don't care who gets the credit".
We'll just move on to the next threat. Syria? Iran? North Korea? Where ever the opportunity is most ripe for action.
I've decided to peruse the site they pay for, check out the American lines, then buy from Nordstrom.com. Urban Decay, Lorac...
Go to Rite-Aid for your stuff. Just be sure to use soap, shave the legs, under the arms and if you are French, get rid of the mustache. American men will love you.
No one in the left wing anywhere in the world understands how ANGRY bullies picking on the weak makes the rest of us. Probably because the left wing all over the world ARE the bullies.
Good call!! LOL!!
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