Bush keeps France waiting over D-Day commemoration

Telegraph ^ | 2.15.04

[ambrose]

Bush keeps France waiting over D-Day commemoration By Kim Willsher in Paris

(Filed: 15/02/2004)

The official invitation has been lying in his in-tray for several months, but President George W. Bush has failed to let the French know whether he will attend the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings in June.

France's president, Jacques Chirac, is expecting at least 15 heads of state to be present at the commemorations marking the decisive Allied offensive against the Germans in Normandy on June 5, 6 and 7.

British guests will include the Queen, the Prince of Wales and Tony Blair, all of whom were officially invited during President Chirac's state visit to London in November last year.

The German chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, has also accepted the invitation to attend one of the most prestigious events on the international calendar this year. It is likely to be the last time that veterans will be able to mark a significant anniversary of the landings in any great number.

However, in the words of one Paris-based diplomat, Mr Bush is "making the French sweat". Relations between France and America have been strained since the French vehemently opposed US-Anglo military action against Saddam Hussein a year ago.

The French government is hoping that the D-Day commemorations will help break the ice between the two countries. President Bush's failure to respond to the invitation is seen as a mark of his continuing personal anger and bitterness over France's formation of an anti-Iraq war axis along with Germany and Russia.

While French officials maintain that it is "unthinkable" that Mr Bush will not attend, they admit that his presence is still "uncertain". A spokesman for the French ministry of defence said: "All the invitations would have been issued around the same time, but President Bush has not yet replied. There is no reason for him not to come. Perhaps the decision has not been taken yet."

Asked whether he expected a positive response from the White House, he could only say: "We hope he will be there." A spokesman for the American embassy in Paris, meanwhile, said: "We cannot say whether President Bush will attend or not, and we don't know who is going to come. The president has the G8 meeting in Florida two days later, so it's a matter of scheduling."

The snub comes despite recent high-level visits by senior French politicians to Washington. Neither Dominque de Villepin, the foreign minister, nor Michele Alliot-Marie, the defence minister, extracted a firm RSVP from President Bush.

"I know that President Bush will be in Europe around this time [of the commemorations] and we will see if he will be there," said Ms Alliot-Marie.

"It would be a certain symbol, but before this symbol, certain concrete measures will take place to show the rapprochement between the United States and France."

It will be the first time that a German chancellor has been invited to the D-Day commemorations, although the French have insisted that no German military uniforms will be on show. President Chirac and Chancellor Schröder will hold a separate, bilateral ceremony at the Peace Memorial in Caen.

[Drango]

sob...we're all gonna die.

[fooman]

send cheney ;)

[SevenofNine]

OH MAN Send Rummy to France

I want see smack chat on French

[newwahoo]

I hope the President attends and sticks it to the French subtly through his remarks there.

[sheik yerbouty]

Maybe the landing should be re-enacted! France would surrender!

[Redcoat LI]

Send Cheney and Rummy,and just to pisss the the Liberals off throw in Antonin Scalia,some shotguns,and two cases of Jack Daniels.
Bonjour,A-holes!!!!!

[Viking2002]

I think that to commemorate the 'liberation' of the French in this post-9/11 world, we should fly a squadron of restored B-29's over Paris and bomb it with several tons of chickensh!t.

Fitting.

[Wumpus Hunter]

They were gonna stage a re-enactment of france surrendering, but they couldn't decide which time they should re-enact.

[Polybius]

Tell the French that the President of the Unites States will consider coming when France welcomes ALL the Allied D-Day veterans that saved their sorry @sses in 1944.

France Ban Brit Veterans From D-Day Beaches

[tet68]

Oh, he should go, in the USS Reagan, anchor off shore, come in by landing craft.

[Coroner]

That was funny...ha..ha..

[ambrose]

How about a parachute landing? That'd get the libs blood boiling.

[NRA2BFree]

You'll want to see this.

[risk]

While French officials maintain that it is "unthinkable" that Mr Bush will not attend, they admit that his presence is still "uncertain".

Perfect. Superb diplomacy.

I found this amazing painting of a scene at D-day in an interesting article on that searing moment in American determination to fight fascism:

And here is a very dramatic painting of some of our many dead at D-day in preparation for burial:

No, it is not we who have forgotten to respond...

[TADSLOS]

Sounds like a good time to do a surprise re-enactment.

[Cicero]

Good grief. I hadn't seen that article. Disgusting.

It will be hard for Bush to stay away, because it would be our dead who are honored. But the French would turn it into a photo-op for self-aggrandizement. That's not what they died for.

[GretchenEE]

interesting

[GrandmaPatriot]

Oh, he should go, in the USS Reagan, anchor off shore, come in by landing craft.

and then exhume all our vets and bring them home.

[Beck_isright]

Send Kerry. He's more French than most Frenchmen apparently.