France Accused As UN Summit On Iraq Stalls

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 9-14-2003 | David Wastell

[blam]

France accused as UN summit on Iraq stalls

By David Wastell, Diplomatic Correspondent
(Filed: 14/09/2003)

Foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council failed to overcome differences on a timetable for handing over power in Iraq yesterday as France came under fire for making "unrealistic" demands.

Colin Powell, the United States secretary of state, said he was "encouraged" by talks in Geneva aimed at agreeing the framework for a UN resolution to set up a multinational force in Iraq. Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General, said consensus was both "essential and achievable".

There was no sign, however, that France was backing down from its insistence that the coalition must hand over all powers to the interim Iraqi authority within a month - a deadline Britain and America regard as impossible.

Mr Powell sharply rebuffed French demands for power to be transferred to the interim Iraqi authority next month.

"Nobody wants to turn sovereignty back to the Iraqis as fast as the United States does, President Bush does and I do," he told French television before the meeting. But the handover deadline proposed by Dominique de Villepin, France's foreign minister, in a newspaper article last week was "totally unrealistic".

Mr Powell added: "It would be delightful if one could do that, but one can't do that. I cannot anticipate us agreeing to any language that would buy into what Minister de Villepin has been saying."

Diplomats said that Mr de Villepin did not explicitly repeat his call during the talks, but said the handover should be completed "by the autumn".

Later, Mr Annan said the five foreign ministers - from Britain, China, France, Russia and the US - had agreed that power should be transferred to the Iraqis "as soon as possible". He was encouraged that the talks had shown "many points of convergence", and promised to resume work on a resolution in New York this week, but admitted that difficulties remained. Diplomats were downbeat about the prospects for a quick agreement.

The proposed US resolution would create a multinational force under a unified UN command but with an American commander.

President George W. Bush is urgently seeking help from other nations over peacekeeping and reconstruction, in an effort to reduce the burden on the US treasury and enable him to scale down the number of American troops in Iraq.

French demands for almost immediate restoration of Iraqi sovereignty were echoed yesterday by Adnan Pachachi, a member of the US-appointed governing council in Baghdad. He said he and his 24 colleagues wanted the fastest possible transfer of authority.

France also wants a new constitution for Iraq to be settled by next spring, and a commitment to May elections. During yesterday's meeting, Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, pointed out that London and Washington had already said they hoped to see a new constitution in place by next summer, with elections to follow soon after.

He said later: "What we've agreed that we all want to see is the transfer of power to the Iraqi people as quickly as possible, but we must do so in a way that ensures security and good government.

"The issue is: what are the steps and staging posts for getting from where we are to where we want to be? I am reasonably confident that we can do that."

Colin Powell was on his way to Iraq from Geneva last night, said the American State Department, making him the most senior US politician to visit the country since Saddam Hussein was toppled

[Diogenesis]

France cannot even rescue 15,000 elderly from the sun.

Tres stupido.

[Pubbie]

From your profile:

elmosfire
Since Sep 13, 2003

Welcome to FR moron.

[tsmith130]

Nor can they be bothered to cut their vacations short to come home to bury them. But we're suppose to hurry up? Paleeeeze!

[Diogenesis]

Humiliating is being French, newbie.

[MEG33]

The sky is falling!We are doomed!Where do we surrender?/sarcasm...Welcome to FR,troll.

[tsmith130]

Anyone who uses the word 'quagmire' is unimaginative, boring and a parrot.

[OldFriend]

Please leave and take your gruvel with you.

[Pubbie]

"The French were saying that we did not have sufficient evidence of Weapons of Mass Destruction and we were invading a sovereign counter with no reason."

If there were no WMDs in Iraq then why was Saddam paying 10,000 WMD scientists to "Work" in Iraq?

[Pubbie]

Oh - and Clinton used the EXACT same justification and Intelligence reports to justify his attack against Saddam in 1998.

Was Clinton ALSO lying about Saddam's WMDs in Operation Desert Fox in 1998????

[shezza]

They have been proven correct and we were wrong. They suffer complete vindication and we suffer denial.

LOL!! You've been watching CNN, haven't you (or reading Le Monde)? Thanks for the comic relief tonight.

[meyer]

Elmofire got around quick, but died a quick death as well. AdMon took him out.

[MEG33]

Awwwww

[Pubbie]

Hehehe.

[river rat]

The French are about to be designated a member of the axis of evil....

If the majority of French people are happy with that, and continue to support their "leaders" -- then they should suffer the consequences....

Actions DO have consequences...

Semper Fi

[Akira]

Well, I missed what sounds like a thoughtful and intelligent post by elmosfire, but based on Pubbie's response, I can guess what it might have said.

So I'll post one of my favorite FR threads just in case elmo wants to read about the about face the idiot Dems have made on the WMD issue since 1998...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/972389/posts

[Pubbie]

Thanks.

[geedee]

The sky is falling!We are doomed!Where do we surrender?/sarcasm...Welcome to FR,troll.

Don't those slimy little maggots . . . libbers and/or trolls . . . keep life interesting? That is if they come out from under their beds long enough to say something stupid.