France rejects Britain's five-point benchmark to test disarmament of Saddam

AFP via Babelfish translation ^ | March 13, 2003

[HAL9000]

France disallows the British proposal for five "conditions"

France disallows the proposals of Great Britain to enumerate five "conditions" to which Iraq should satisfy to avoid a war, declared Thursday the Foreign Minister, Domenica de Villepin."Elles do not answer the questions put by the international community: it is not a question to grant a few additional days to Iraq before engaging in the recourse to the force, but to advance resolutely in the way of peaceful disarmament traced by the inspections which are a credible alternative to the war ", declared Mr. de Villepin in a communiqué.La Great Britain proposed Wednesday in the United Nations to enumerate five conditions to which Iraq will have to satisfy to avoid a war, in an appendix with a draft Resolution deposited last month and apparently always at the point mort.Le Foreign Office had detailed six conditions, but the document circulating with UNO omits one of them, relating to the handing-over with UNO of laboratories

[L`enn]

Call the vote immediately, put the Limp Wrist Villepien on record, and then "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines".

[DoughtyOne]

Anotherwords Hussein can do anything he pleases and France will never okay the use of force. And if France can simply veto force in perpetuity, then the UN is a complete waste of time. They'll never stop a tyrant.

[HAL9000]

Text of the proposed British benchmarks that Iraq must meet

Apparently, Britain dropped the item - "6. SURRENDER OF AND EXPLANATIONS ABOUT MOBILE CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTION FACILITIES".

[Mo1]

I'm SHOCKED ..

OK .. What else will the idiot Frence turn down?

[Jeff Chandler]

The American people want Bush to put the UN behind us and get on with the nation's business.

[The Great Satan]

I do hope the French don't cave. I'm not greedy -- I don't expect us to take out Saddam this year -- but if we can just nix the UN, it will be like Christmas came early this year.

[rwfromkansas]

thank goodness

[xm177e2]

This IS the smart thing for France to do. We're counting on France accepting this delaying resolution, so we have an excuse not to attack (we're making lots of progress with special forces and encouraging defections and surrenders--every day we put off going to war is a day we get stronger and Saddam gets weaker).

Oh well... we'll do what we darnn please, the Security Council be darnned.

[Capitalist Eric]

I PISS on france... on germany.... and all the "anti-war" protesters...

I disrupted their rally at UC Davis.... when they said only "peace and love" can stop hatred, I screamed "what about Hitler?" during a lull in the speech...

They didn't like it much.

One friend was attacked while he was talking to me, another with threatened with death... One of the protest-organizers tried to force us to leave, saying we had no right to counter-protest them...

Yeah, they're all about peace... And free speech.

Unless it's speech they DON'T like.... X-(

[Robert_Paulson2]

Paris rejected the "logic of ultimatums."

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Ahhh and so we can expect them to not resort to threatening us with the VETO? Right frenchies?

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One of these days, and it won't be long, France will defy our ultimatum to them. That will make the end of the, what is it, SEVENTH government they have had since the mid 1800's? faison le fools...

Bush said it: "President Chirac, we will NOT forgive, and we will NOT forget" what france has done to us... Evil France, will be paying the bill for this evil act for a very very long time.

A curse on their mustaches....

[goldstategop]

The French killed the British proposal. That's good. Hold the vote as scheduled tomorrow and then LET'S ROLL!!!

[DoughtyOne]

I don't see any choice Jeff. What bothers me about the way this is shaping up, is the United Nations looks poised to try to charge Bush with a "war crime" type charge if he goes in against it's will. The ICC is now a sitting court. Evidently the judges just took their seats officially a few days ago. How do we ever take a real "war criminal" to the Hague in the future, if it seeks to go after Bush, and this nation has to stiff it? Will Bush be convicted in absentia? Will he be subject to arrest in a foreign nation? I know this sounds preposterous, but it may not be. We're dealing with a world body of fricken loons.

[rwfromkansas]

According to this article, the British dropped this MAJOR AND VITAL PART OF THE 6-POINT PLAN...now 5 point piece of crap worse than the previous piece of crap:

"-Hand over and account for all mobile chemical and biological production facilities."

Dropping that provision is disgraceful.....it is sickening and Britain can go to hell. Screw you Tony Blair.

I am glad France has not changed its position.

[goldstategop]

They're all anti-American loons. This six month long farce before the UN was not a wasted affair. Its exposed to Americans exactly who these lovers of peace are. They're not friends of America, not advocates of an effective UN, or champions of world peace. Its been very instructive and I do hope dear Jacques helps make Turtle Bay histoire.

[Jeff Chandler]

The left in this country will support them, too. President Rodham would extratdite him.

[Jeff Chandler]

extratdite = extradite

[Atchafalaya]

Kinda like the Demacratic fillibuster n'est pas?