We won't shut up, Mr Chirac, says East Europe

Reuters | 2/18/03 | Sean Maguire

[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,

[goldstategop]

Germany and France want to keep the European Union an exclusive West European club run by the French and the Germans. The East Europeans are finally catching on to the fact they won't be equal in the EU. They might tell Western Europe to shove it and revive the defunct Comecon, this time as a free market rival to the statist EU. Now that would be Paris and Berlin's worst nightmare. The U.S should encourage its Eastern European friends to form a collective counterweight to the EU instead of enlarging it. Europe doesn't need a common home run according to the dictates of M. Chirac and Herr Schroeder.

[anoldafvet]

You forgot something. We have been saying for years that anyone who used weapons of mass destruction would pay a heavy price. Saddam used such a weapon (sarin gas) on our troops in Gulf War I. When we found out during the Clinton administration, we swept it under the rug and accused the veterans of "faking" Gulf War Syndrome.

[Mamzelle]

Perhaps the Irish didn't want a silly Euro bossing them around, and decided not to join for those reasons? Don't talk about culture, you say, is it *already* dead, and not worth discussing?

Keep studying your English. It's the only language that will matter.

[ncpastor]

The French, arrogant? Mais, non!

[GraniteStateConservative]

He's a bully, you lost DUer, because he's threatening those weaker than he in Eastern Europe with opposing their admission into the EU.

[MadIvan]

The issue in Ireland was never about expansion, it was about the rights that Brussels was going to take away from the nation states. That's why the Irish rejected the Nice Treaty the first time around - it is a pity that the opposition lost the second time around.

Eastern European countries could have joined in much the same way as Sweden, Finland and Austria joined - no "Nice treaty" was required. The Nice treaty was a naked power grab by Brussels, which unfortunately succeeded.

Ivan

[kanawa]

wont you say 'dont buy from germans ' and 'dont buy from jews' are nearly the same ?

Holy Smokes !!!! You're right.
3 out of the 4 words are identical.

What a maroon

[Mamzelle]

Israel, for starters. Eastern Europe. Turkey. We support many democracies.

We even support Old Europe's failing and fading cultures.

[xsmommy]

we are free to buy what we like and from whom we like. we choose not to give $$ to those that seek to undermine us. that is called FREEDOM.

[OldFriend]

How dare you compare Chirac and his support of the murdering Hussein with the jewish people in europe prior to the world war?

[maxter]

I agree 100%. Chriac should be watched very closely. EU spells trouble on the horizon.

[Happygal]

Not only ireland doesnt want the eastern countrys in .... nearly all nations doesn't want this , but only in ireland the people has to vote for this. all others are simply not asked

The Nice Treaty was not about enlargement in the main for the Irish people. In case you are not aware, there were other more pertinent issues involved for Ireland, namely the EU rapid reaction force and the issues that posed for Irish neutrality, not to mention the the diminishing of Ireland's voice at the EU table, and the dissolution of Irish Sovereignty. Ireland, and Irish people in the main, are not opposed to enlargement from the Eastern block countries. Indeed, Ireland has proved herself a very hospitable host to many refugees from applicant nations like Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic.

[GraniteStateConservative]

You're a DU idiot. The reason these eastern european nations support us is because we supported them in removing the shackles of Soviet oppression. We just freed the Afghanis-- now they can drag their VCRs out of the sand and watch Titanic without fear of being stoned to death. We sought the capture of Somali warlords who opposed freedom. The people of Haiti were under the regime of Cedras-- a military dictator-- and we got him out of power.

Drag your anti-American ass away from FR.

[E.G.C.]

I'm not sure if this is related to the story, but this morning on Fox News Channel there was a story on the crawl on the bottom of the screen that Al-Queda was targeting certain places in Austraila. This country according to the report has weak anti-terror laws and very inadequate security.

If my researcch is correct, this is also the nation that is being run by a bunch of Bill Clinton types who apparently seem to focusing their police surveillence more on their political adversaries then on these terrorist cells.

This is what happens when you put the wrong kind of people in positions of authority.
Regards.

[COBOL2Java]

There are many lists out there of German, French and Belgium products to boycott. Is there a list of New Europe products to buy (other than the obvious Spanish and Italian wines and Polish vodka)?

Here's a few:

• Bulgarian Wine
• Slavophilia (Slavic and East European Resources)
• Eastern European Shopping
• One Dot Shopping: Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Republics

[Diogenesis]

Israel, Taiwan, Japan, UK, etc. etc.

You seem to have trouble with the impact of Democracy on your own "television brainwashed" mind.

Or will you claim that that which you hate twisted your heart, mind, and logic?

[MissAmericanPie]

"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

Duh, no kidding. Why anyone would want to ditch their sovereignty and self interests to join the EU or the UN is a mystery to me. More "free trade" that isn't free corporate/government flim flam?

[keats5]

Cowboys don't act like that. Cowboys are our heros.