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France calls for American 'reason'
Telegraph (UK) ^ | 09/14/2001 | Harry de Quetteville and Toby Helm

Posted on 09/13/2001 6:19:54 PM PDT by 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>


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
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To: dighton

"They seek revenge and therefore will not yield"
Exeter, King Henry VI Part iii, Act 1 Scene 1.

21 posted on 09/13/2001 6:29:57 PM PDT by FReepaholic
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To: Long Cut
Anybody surprised?

No.

22 posted on 09/13/2001 6:30:00 PM PDT by He Rides A White Horse
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To: dighton
France and Germany better shut up or will bomb them too.
23 posted on 09/13/2001 6:30:40 PM PDT by RickyJ
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To: ModernDayCato
The French are wimps!
24 posted on 09/13/2001 6:30:51 PM PDT by RightWinger
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To: dighton
Found the same sentiment in Der Spiegel today.
25 posted on 09/13/2001 6:30:53 PM PDT by Nebullis
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Comment #26 Removed by Moderator

To: dighton
The French will shut the hell up and let us do what we need to do. They will, in the end, even help us, if we need it.

BUT - it does remind me of a joke:

Why are all the roads in France lined with trees?
Because German soldiers like to march in the shade!

27 posted on 09/13/2001 6:31:24 PM PDT by pittsburgh gop guy
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To: dighton
You know while were at it, why don't we drop a few bombs on the frogs. If were going to do this, lets do it right.
28 posted on 09/13/2001 6:32:20 PM PDT by Jacvin
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To: dighton
These are our friends.
Poor President Bush, here he is criticised for being too nice, there he is criticised for being to mean! Sheesh!
29 posted on 09/13/2001 6:32:21 PM PDT by ladyinred
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To: tm22721
Ya just gotta laugh at these bozos. The french really know how to bite the hand that saves them. May I suggest that the next time they need us we just yawn. And may I be the first to start a boycott of french wine, french travel, french perfume, french fashion. What have I missed?
30 posted on 09/13/2001 6:32:37 PM PDT by cajungirl
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To: A+Bert
The world Economies will collapse and most of you will be out of a job in cities where cannbalism will provide the only food supply.

You're still intent on being the court jester of Free Republic.

And you'll fall face first in your booze stil defending the Muslim horde.

31 posted on 09/13/2001 6:32:45 PM PDT by sinkspur
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To: ModernDayCato
I am of french heritage. I say you are either with U.S. or you are against U.S.. F@#k the frogs!
32 posted on 09/13/2001 6:32:50 PM PDT by Gadsden1st
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To: dighton
Oh goody. More advice on winning major conflicts from the Franco F***-faces.
33 posted on 09/13/2001 6:33:05 PM PDT by Cyber Liberty
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To: Long Cut
These are the same people who denied the f-111 crews airspace to get to tripoli. Hey, you forget the Germans are NO LONGER A DIVIDED NATION.
34 posted on 09/13/2001 6:33:16 PM PDT by stumpy
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To: Boatlawyer
#3 Here's to the french. They fight with their feet and xxxx with their face. Bstrds!
35 posted on 09/13/2001 6:33:18 PM PDT by oldtimer
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To: dighton
That took even less time than cynical me would have thought. I was guessing they would wait until we had pinpointed the perps so they would have known precisely who to surrender to. We've got a tough row to hoe in this war.
36 posted on 09/13/2001 6:33:26 PM PDT by Truthfairy
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To: dighton
What would their reaction be to someone blowing up the Eiffel Tower? I bet they would be loaded for bear.
37 posted on 09/13/2001 6:33:36 PM PDT by Liberal Classic
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To: dighton
True to form? Yes. Le francais sans vertebrae. Wonder if they'll be denying us fly-over rights. We'll go into battle with MIGs flying alongside us before the Gauls join our crusade.
38 posted on 09/13/2001 6:33:46 PM PDT by jwfiv
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To: dighton
This is good. If the French were supporting us enthusiastically it would be a DANGER signal.
39 posted on 09/13/2001 6:34:04 PM PDT by Dog Gone
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To: dighton
bump
40 posted on 09/13/2001 6:34:11 PM PDT by shootist
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