France calls for American 'reason'

Telegraph (UK) ^ | 09/14/2001 | Harry de Quetteville and Toby Helm

[dighton]

POLITICAL leaders in France and Germany urged President Bush yesterday to avoid a belligerent response, as fears grew in Europe of the consequences of swift and ruthless military reaction to the terrorist attacks.

Lionel Jospin, the French Prime Minister, said the Americans should be "reasonable" in their response. Alain Richard, his defence minister, said the attacks were "not acts of war".

The comments, echoed by senior German ministers if not by the Chancellor, Gerhard Schroder, contradicted statements by President Bush and his Secretary of State Colin Powell.

M Jospin said: "We must vigorously condemn and combat terrorism. But we must not allow ourselves to be led into considerations of a conflict between the western world and the Islamic world, where we have many friends and partners."

The remarks from the Socialist prime minister were aimed at reassuring both the France's political Left and its Muslim population, which numbers six million. But they will be seen as further evidence of disagreements between France and America on big foreign policy issues.

The comments by M Richard will also undermine American confidence in France's commitment to joint reprisals as outlined by Nato members on Wednesday. He said: "I think that this was a terrorist attack of particular gravity.

"American democracy is clearly endangered by such action, but in my opinion a war is something else entirely." France disagrees with US policy on missile defence, the bombing of Iraq and what it sees as American cultural imperialism.

Rudolf Scharping, the German defence minister, also cautioned against launching swift military strikes. "I hope we all remain calm and do not now speak of a state of alarm. We do not face a war.

"We face the question of what is an appropriate response," he told German television. "Not in the sense of revenge and retribution, but in order to be able to fight and break international terror."

France's maverick health minister, Bernard Kouchner, went as far yesterday as to put the attacks down to a "series of errors" by America. "America's made a real mistake in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which was to train the Taliban," M Kouchner said.

"To think now that there is some kind of consensus of 'honourable' nations against the 'bad' terrorists, is simply not true."

© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2001.</font color>

[eleni121]

The Frenchies...how dare they open their mealy assed mouths after inventing colonialism, destroying the Huguenots, butchering Algeria and Vietnam, and lying down in WWII. What do they know of reason...This from the producers of Robespierrie and Napoleon?

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

France calls for American 'reason'

Vous Americains, again you do it! You do not grasp the subtlety and nuance of the French language. The French term raison (pronounced "raisin") is perhaps best translated as "abject surrender" or more properly "humiliating capitulation".

[Pee_Oui]

"America's made a real mistake in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which was to train the Taliban," M Kouchner said.

Guess we weren't the only ones that knew what Clinton was up to.

DL

[ImFightingMad]

How right you are!!

Go to the French Military Museum in Paris and you will see how they beat the Nazis by themselves. They had no help by anyone else!

[Busywhiskers]

As the great philosopher said, "It is good to hate the French."

[dighton]

France should be considered as the mouthpiece of the VATICAN.

"No Popery" riots aren't welcome here.

[RightOnline]

"Lionel Jospin, the French Prime Minister, said the Americans should be "reasonable" in their response."

Hey.................Jospin. One question. How "reasonable" was our "response" on D-Day? You know, when it was YOUR chestnuts in the fire?

Should we build wide, tree-lined boulevards throughout our country, too? You know...........like the ones your country built so that the Germans could march in the shade??

[sneakypete]

Have the French surrendered yet? If not,"HEY FRANCE! BOOO!". That oughta do it.

[Faraday]

Bertie, stick to something you know about--like, masochism.

[dougherty]

These European socialists and cowards sicken me. No wonder our ancestors left that place. The only country over there with any integrity, any strength, backbone and honor, is, as usual, Great Britain. I am not surprised they were the only European country to have held out successfully against the Nazis during WWII. God Bless Great Britain.

[tracer]

What?? You don't like French whine??

[Paulus Invictus]

We suffer your bent opinions and lack of real knowledge in virtually everything imaginable, but this time your opinion on this thread is well past ludicrous. Why are you still on FR? I thought you had been removed for an often demonstrated and highly obvious lack of natural perspicacity. In the words of Sir William, "Out damned spot!"

[stumpy]

Yes it is going to require bombing a couple of aspirin factories. Those palestinian "children" cheering in the streets are the next generation of terrorists who've already been brainwashed beyond salvation. KILL THEM. KILL THE ENTIRE GROUP OVER TWO YEARS OLD. Those less than two may be saved. But the others have been to far brainwashed.

[boycott]

MY SCREEN NAME SAYS IT ALL!!!

[jothamdorn]

I wasn't referring to the french. I was talking about the saudis and paks and afghans. I know the paks have the bomb. what I wrote was a paraphrase of a 19th century Brit thing

Whatever happens, we have got
the Maxim gun; and they have not.

It might have been Kipling but I couldn't say for sure.

[rundy]

A+Bert,

Your forgot to close your /stupidity tag.

[A+Bert (Outta here)]

In a couple of weeks you Zionist will be on your knees crawling around looking for sympathy. You are soon to lose it all. Don't expect much from the United States you made the enemies live with them. You all must be cringing with fear as you see all your lies coming to naught. What misery you Zionist heaped on your own people. Fortunately Bush isn't going to let you drag the US down with you.

[clodkicker]

My thoughts exactly!