THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France's friends in Iraq

The Daily Telegraph ^ | April 28, 2003

[MadIvan]

Mocking la perfide Albion has been a national pastime in France for centuries, but the documents that are now being disinterred from the smouldering embers of Saddam Hussein's regime suggest that perfidy would be rather a polite word for the conduct of Jacques Chirac and the French government towards their allies.

Elsewhere in today's Telegraph, Alex Spillius reports that papers found in the Iraqi foreign ministry show how, as recently as three years ago, French diplomats from the Quai d'Orsay were colluding with agents from IRIS (the Iraqi Intelligence Service, better known as the Mukhabarat) to frustrate efforts by the Iraqi opposition and the British-based human rights group Indict to highlight atrocities in Iraq at a conference in Paris.

Other documents include a warm thank-you letter from Saddam to M Chirac in response to the French president's campaign to end UN sanctions, a deal between Peugeot and Baghdad, and mysterious payments from IRIS to beneficiaries in France.

The picture that emerges is not a pretty one. Material from the same Iraqi ministry published elsewhere suggests that French diplomats were keeping Baghdad informed about Bush-Chirac summits and other talks between Washington and Paris. This entente cordiale with the Ba'athist dictatorship provides a new context in which to consider M Chirac's refusal to countenance a Security Council resolution to authorise military action "under any circumstances". At the time, this was seen as a typically Gaullist "Non!", a rhetorical gesture of defiance to the Anglo-American coalition. It appears that M Chirac was also trying to preserve a Franco-Iraqi nexus that now looks quite sinister.

The significance of these intimate links with Saddam will not be lost on America. The Bush Administration's anger with the French was publicly reiterated last week by the Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and in Washington high-level meetings are being held to finalise punitive measures. In Paris, the response so far has vacillated between nervous appeasement and brazen provocation.

M Chirac rang the White House to propose a plan, apparently intended to be conciliatory, to establish a role for Nato in Iraq. However, one of the measures being considered in Washington is to downgrade the French role at Nato. Moreover, just as M Chirac was trying to ingratiate himself, his foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, was making a surprise visit to another member of the "axis of evil", Iran, which had just been warned by Washington not to interfere in Iraq.

Tony Blair, who has even more reason than George Bush to feel double-crossed by the French government over Iraq, should be in no hurry to forgive, let alone to forget.

[MadIvan]

In the words of Dennis Miller, France is dead to me.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[Mister Baredog]

Other documents include a warm thank-you letter from Saddam to M Chirac in response to the French president's campaign to end UN sanctions,

Sanctions the are now willing to discuss "suspending? The French are SCUMBAGS.

[ellery]

bttt

[GailA]

Dominique de Villepin, was making a surprise visit to another member of the "axis of evil", Iran, which had just been warned by Washington not to interfere in Iraq.

[Dog Gone]

I've visited France for the last time. Perfidy is too mild a word.

[anniegetyourgun]

Amen.

[Miss Marple]

You know, it still seems strange that France went out of its way to assist Iraqi intelligence. This can't all be about money, can it?

France's actions since the war are not a bit conciliatory, in my opinion. This seems to be almost "in your face" type of behavior.

What if in all their contacts with Iraqi intelligence they found out about the bin Laden connection, and said nothing? What if they knew about the 9/11 plot and failed to warn us?

There is more evil here than meets the eye.

[MadIvan]

Just when I think the French couldn't sink any lower, I go to the Telegraph and find out something worse.

I am sure there are good individuals in France - I know a few. However anyone who dares defend this government's actions, and anyone in this government is now beyond the pale.

Regards, Ivan

[Paul Atreides]

I saw a FNC panel discussion with Brit Hume, Tony Snow, Mara Liasson, Juan Williams in which one stated that sources are saying that the corruption of Galloway is just the tip of the iceberg, that there are more politicians and journalists who were on the Saddam payroll.

[tet68]

? What if they knew about the 9/11 plot and failed to warn us?

There is more evil here than meets the eye.


That would mean the end of the Franco-American relationship,
time to go over there and bring our dead soldiers home.

[Miss Marple]

Just when I think the French couldn't sink any lower, I go to the Telegraph and find out something worse.

I have often said something similar about Clinton...that when I think he has gone as low as he can go, he manages to sink even further.

I bet when we get to the bottom of this deep, deep pit, Clinton and Chirac are there together.

[gcruse]

Tony Blair, who has even more reason than George Bush to feel double-crossed by the French government over Iraq, should be in no hurry to forgive, let alone to forget.

Will Tony go euro-wobbly?

[MadIvan]

I think Blair, if he ever does, will lose his temper over this. This is just too much.

Regards, Ivan

[Dog Gone]

I think money is sufficient reason for the French to sell us out. Our own citizens have done that in the past.

But I do agree with you that there is something more than that. France was doing everything to prevent us from invading Iraq long after it was obvious to everyone in the world that we were going to do it, regardless.

They are hiding something much more embarrassing than financial dealings.

[Miss Marple]

Well, it just seems to me that sending their foreign minister to Iran last week, mucking around with the Turks, and such, is a little bit more than worrying about oil contracts.

Since we seem to be in an endless Tom Clancy novel, I will ask the worst question of all: what if France COLLABORATED in 9/11, or actively PLANNED it?

[Dog Gone]

That thought occurred to me as I was typing my earlier response.

What if France thought it would be just swell if America tucked its tale between its legs and withdrew from the Middle East?

Isn't that exactly what they really wanted?

They wanted to lift the sanctions with Saddam's regime. They've long resented US influence.

Is it impossible to think that they at least knew about 9/11 in advance, and secretly hoped it would accomplish their goals?

[itwasntme]

Didn't I read somewhere that M. Chirac was the first person to call Bush after the 9/11 attacks. How convienient.....good thing he checked his calender and didn't call on 9/10!!

[Arpege92]

I feel so stupid! As much as I dislike the french, I never even dreamed they could have something to do with 9/11! I hope for their sake, that none of it is true.....because I would want revenge!!!!

[Dog Gone]

As angry as I am with the French, it's hard to imagine that they would have planned that attack or assisted in any way.

But I certainly don't put it past them, after what we've learned now, that they could have known about it in advance. They certainly are refusing to help us in the prosecution of Moussaoui, a French citizen. Isn't that interesting?