Posted on 04/14/2003 5:34:05 AM PDT by kattracks
EU's Solana urges U.S. to tone down Syria comments
LUXEMBOURG, April 14 (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana urged Washington on Monday to tone down its statements about Syria, saying it was time to "cool down" the tense situation in the Middle East.
Asked about the tough U.S. rhetoric on Syria, Solana replied "The region is going through a very difficult process and I think it would be better to make constructive statements to see if we can cool down the situation..."
Solana was speaking before an EU foreign ministers meeting to discuss how the bloc could help postwar Iraq and how to heal the deep divisions over the U.S.-led war, which saw Britain, Spain and Italy supporting Washington while France, Belgium and Germany led the anti-war camp.
The EU has said it wants the United Nations to have the central role in the rebuilding of Iraq, but Washington has said it will decide what happens once the war is over.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said Washington should focus on the task at hand in Iraq, where the rule of President Saddam Hussein has been replaced with civil unrest.
"We should concentrate on winning the peace and not to get into a new confrontation," he told reporters in Luxembourg.
The ministers discussed Swedish proposals to strengthen EU efforts to stop countries from producing and keeping weapons of mass destruction, including extending export controls to materials which could be used to produce such weapons.
The question of how to treat states that do not cooperate on non-proliferation will be discussed at the EU-US summit in late May, diplomats said.
External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten said deciding on how the EU could help rebuild Iraq would help to ensure that the United Nations had a say over the country's future.
"If the EU were in a position to identify, at an early stage, what role it would like to play in post-conflict Iraq, it might be possible to exert influence over the content of any UN resolution," he said in a note to the ministers.
Solana and Patten both proposed financial support for Iraq, developing Iraqi civil society and cooperating with the United Nations and NATO in providing postwar stability and security.
04/14/03 08:16 ET
Did I miss what he said to Syria? I looked but I didn't see his admonition to Syria. Do these people really want to be taken seriesly?????
t They are delusional. Their mothers told them they were important and they ACTUALLY believe it. Poor babies, they just don't understand us anymore. They want us to "move on" after some of their buddies(anyone who doesn't like the US) attacked us(9/11). They can't seem to grasp how "pissed" we are and how "determined" we are to prevent future attacks. They didn't "feel" it like we did, that's for sure.
1. Remind all the European populace that as Europeans, it is incumbent upon them to hate Americans, and
2.Try to suck up to the Muslim populations within the EU and abroad (do a search on 'the EUrabian alliance for further details)
That the EU elites hope to build a European consciousness to replace national identity is well-known. They are deliberately trying to build this EU patriotism on anti US sentiment. The need for the EU elites to placate the muslim population within the EU states is well-known as well . And from the early 1970s , the European nations have been trying to build an alliance with the Muslim countries for access to markets and oil. The price ? Mass muslim immigration to Europe, and being staunchly antiIsrael.
All the carping from France and other EU countries is done to exacerbate antiAmericanism at home, and to encourage Islamic countries to ally with the EU against the US. They don't expect to stop the US from doing anything re:Iraq or anywhere else ; they just want to keep anti US sentiment high .
I don't thinks so: it is just hard to accept that this is actually the best they could do. Disregarding for a moment the positions Chirac takes, have you noticed how unprofessional and even stupid he sounds when he speaks? Or to run up to Blair and, in the presence of a buch of other people, stick a finger in Blair's face and scream, "You were rude to me!" --- is that the best he can do as a politician and diplomat?
There answer is, yes, of course, but for an intelligent person it is hard to accept that this is the best the society can produce. I often tell my daughter that, when she reaches forty or so, she'll have to run for the office --- in self-defense.
Not one drop of their worthless blood was sacrificed in this coalition, not one whiff should be given about what they say or think.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.