France says it will be pragmatic about postwar Iraq

Reuters | 4/14/03

[kattracks]

France says it will be pragmatic about postwar Iraq

LUXEMBOURG, April 14 (Reuters) - France said on Monday it would be "pragmatic" about postwar Iraq, setting aside differences with the United States over what exact role the United Nations would play in reconstructing the country.

"Let us be pragmatic, let us start from the reality of the problems," French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin told reporters during a meeting of European Union foreign ministers.

"It is in the interest of Iraq, the region and the international community," he added.

"It is obvious that the US administration has a role to play," Villepin said. "It is useless to go back to what divided us... let us turn to the future."

EU foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg, discussed what role the 15-nation bloc could play in the reconstruction of Iraq after the conflict as well as the role of the United Nations.

04/14/03 10:32 ET

[Keith]

pound le sand...

[Conspiracy Guy]

Is Pragmatic French for Absent?

[dogbyte12]

Let's just ignore them. Let the french scream their little sissy boy heads off till their throats turns sore, and just continue ignoring them more. That would be their greatest punishment. They are 3 year old petulant children. They need a time out.

[Starboard]

"let us turn to the future."

Too late--the train has already left the station and France missed the boarding call.

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[3AngelaD]

Back-peddle, back-peddle. Obfuscate.

[areafiftyone]

"It is obvious that the US administration has a role to play," Villepin said

Dam Right! And France has one too! HEH HEH!

[trebb]

"let us turn to the future."

Seems to me that we made the turn and France went through the guard rail...

[jedi150]

Groveling time! Just like the French though kissing @$$ when it is their benefit. How about leaving it up to the Iraqies on if they should be involved! Something says to me that a resounding NO will be voice by them.

[azhenfud]

"Let us be pragmatic, let us start from the reality of the problems,"

Okay. Let's be pragmatic with omitting the problem of france from the equation.

[wjcsux]

Isn't it time for France to surrender again?

[keithtoo]

[mad puppy]

Good grief they've got some nerve. Perhaps post war power in Iraqi should be in proportion to $'s spent liberating Iraqi. How about by the number KIA?. Lets see, that gives france 0%. Sounds about right. Either way, the goal is to set things up and let the Iraqis run it themselves, and quickly. Then the Iraqi can & should decide how best to reward france for their service.....or not.

[Jambe]

Here's a 'roll' that France can play!

[AIC]

What I don't understand, is why France wants a role in Iraq
so bad. Then to say let's go back to the way it was a long
time ago. Like nothing has happened. Look toward the future. I for one can not be reconciled again with France,
Germany, Russia or French Canada for the rest of my life.
I will not forget. I need nothing from their countries.
I need none of their imports. If need be I will pay more for products just to keep them and their influence out of the U.S. I don't need or want their movies, food, drink, or their way of thinking or life. I don't need to speak their
language. If they want to talk to me use American language.
The most important is that right now this very moment we don't need any more of them coming to the U.S. to live.
The U.S. is the freest country in the world, and the world
knows it. The U.S. had to fight for that freedom. It was not given to us by the named above, so who are they to
talk ever about freedom. As for the protesters - learn your
history of the U.S. first before opening mouth. Your speech
was paid for not given to you. Also remember, The U.S. rules
by the majority not the minority. If you do not like the U.S. the way it is, then change it the way our forefathers
set it up to change in a civilized way or leave the U.S. and never look or come back. The time of the flag burning and bad mouthing has come to an end.

[winner3000]

Chiraq and Villepin are deeply saddened and disappointed...

[BillCompton]

le pond scum

[hawkaw]

You know ... some of you people on these boards.

Yes, France will not have certain contracts such as but not limited to contracts in the oil fields. I expect the same to happen in Canada because of my Canadian government's crap stance too and rightly so.

But because of the enormous costs, America needs ALL countries it can muster to help build Iraq. America realized this just the other day ago when it along with the rest of the G7 (which included France) signed an agreement to send X billion dollars to repair Iraq.

I cannot believe that the American people would, by themselves, want to pay for the entire cost of restoration of a country all because the other countries stayed out of the war. This is especially so seeing these other countries are willing to contribute. Bush, as most of you on this board know, is not a stupid man. He knows he must keep his deficits down and even the cost of the war down. Sharing the costs works to his political advantage and that is what its all about.

So yes, American, British, Japanese and other companies do stand to have a big win here in rebuilding Iraq. But as America has now signaled at the G7, it welcomes the use other countries money and knowledge, including France, to help rebuild too.

hawk

[Defiant]

Hawkaw--

Saddam has looted billions from Iraq. We have got our hands on some of it, we may find the rest. That will be a good start.

After that, Iraq can earn tens of billions of dollars a year pumping oil, only now it will all go to the people of Iraq and not to the criminal enterprise (including French oil companies) running the place.

There is no need for the US to have international help in administering Iraq, except as a sop to globalists in areas where they can't interfere too much, such as humanitarian relief. But I would prefer to fund reconstruction ourselves, as we did with the Marshall Plan, before I would ever agree to let the perfidious French and the duplicitous Russians anywhere near the place. Let them back, and intrigues that will doom democracy will come with them.

The hell with Canada, too. I'm for increasing our border restrictions on your people. Sorry. If you get a more responsible government, maybe after a few years, attitudes will change. But it will take genuine action on Canada's part that evidences that your government is not anti-US. Platitudes about having to work together won't cut it. We can make it without you, and without France, Germany, Russia and the UN, if need be. That fact may be what irks Old Europe the most--our independence from them and their bureaucratic meddling.