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Grumblings beginning to be heard in France on US
AFP ^ | 10/8/2001 | AFP

Posted on 10/08/2001 5:51:16 AM PDT by l33t

PARIS, Oct 8 (AFP) -

France's commitment to the US-led attacks on Afghanistan prompted grumbling Monday within the ruling left-wing majority, with Green and Communist deputies urging the government to keep its distance from Washington.

The most vehement criticism came from Noel Mamere, a Green deputy and a likely candidate for next April's presidential elections, who said the strikes amounted to an "act of war" against the Afghan people.

"The military response launched by the Americans is an act of war against the Afghan people, a people who risk paying a high price for international terrorism," Mamere said.

"This riposte runs the risk of being disproportionate," he added. "George W. Bush is well and truly his father's son." Bush's father, former president George Bush ordered US-led attacks against Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War.

The Communist Party, another junior partner in the Socialist-led coalition, also urged caution on the government.

"France must not appear to be a simple appendix of the United States which makes decisions for the entire world," Communist deputy Jean-Pierre Brard said. He called for an emergency debate in the National Assembly on France's role in the conflict.

Meanwhile Socialist Party spokesman Vincent Peillon said parliament would be consulted in the coming days on French participation to the US-led strikes, thoguh he said it had not been decided whether to put a motion to the vote.

"We consider these strikes to be legitimate and we back them. It would be a grave error to consider that these strikes are aimed at the Afghan people," he said, referring to Mamere's comments which he described as "curious and confused".

Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine and Defense Minister Alain Richard were due to appear Tuesday before the assembly's defense and foreign affairs committees to outline France's involvement in the military operation.

The interior ministry announced Monday that French intelligence agents were already on the ground in Afghanistan working with the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance.

"The US knows that we can join in the action with dozens of planes or boats and thousands of men, to participate in operations on terrorist targets in Afghanistan. It's a matter of days," Richard told Le Monde newspaper.

The strikes that began Sunday are in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States that killed nearly 5,500 people. Bin Laden has been accused of organizing the attacks.

President Jacques Chirac gave his full-hearted support for the US attack in a nationally televised address Sunday and said French forces would take part.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
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Looks like the French will pull their support soon.
1 posted on 10/08/2001 5:51:16 AM PDT by l33t
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To: l33t
They will surrender by noon EDT
2 posted on 10/08/2001 5:55:40 AM PDT by cajungirl
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To: l33t
If grumblings are now being heard from France, it just means that someone turned on the microphone.
3 posted on 10/08/2001 5:58:39 AM PDT by RickGee
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To: cajungirl
So, are the Frogs going to go to Kabul and have a full-fledged surrender ceremony, complete with ritual buggery by their Taliban conquerors?

The French. When they're not surrendering, they're collaborating.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

4 posted on 10/08/2001 6:00:45 AM PDT by section9
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To: l33t
The most vehement criticism came from Noel Mamere, a Green deputy and a likely candidate for next April's presidential elections, who said the strikes amounted to an "act of war" against the Afghan people.

English translation of Noel's last name: Boob

5 posted on 10/08/2001 6:01:27 AM PDT by NewHampshireDuo
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To: l33t,cajungirl,RickGee
I saw peace protestors on the news this morning they were American does that mean that America will pull out soon.

Tony

6 posted on 10/08/2001 6:01:27 AM PDT by tonycavanagh
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To: l33t
While I'm usually among the first to mock the French, it's only fair to point out that these guys ("Green" and "Communist") seem not to be in the mainstream of French politics.

You could find similar sentiments on the campus of most U.S. universities. Sad, but true.

7 posted on 10/08/2001 6:03:26 AM PDT by B Knotts
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To: cajungirl
You mean they have not surrendered to Latvia yet? Maybe they are trying to negotiate a new Vichy type agreement before surrendering.

I hate the French. They used to be an honorable nation and now their nothing but crepe eating cowards.
8 posted on 10/08/2001 6:04:41 AM PDT by Nuke'm Glowing
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To: tonycavanagh
tony, let's rip on the French, they deserve it.

They have a desperate desire to be geopolitically relevant--their little egos got CRUSHED by the Franco-Prussian War.

I mean, they planted trees on the Paris boulevards so the Germans could march in the shade...

9 posted on 10/08/2001 6:05:20 AM PDT by Poohbah
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To: tonycavanagh
NO, it just means they had a peace protest protected where we couldn't beat the hell out of them. And that my friend is coming. Especially after the anthrax attacks here in Florida.
10 posted on 10/08/2001 6:05:34 AM PDT by Nuke'm Glowing
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To: Nuke'm Glowing
The french have several surrenders scheduled today so Latvia will just have to wait behind Moldava, Lithuania and Monoco.
11 posted on 10/08/2001 6:06:47 AM PDT by cajungirl
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To: cajungirl
To beat the last minute rush, the French probably had a "fill-in-the-blanks" surrender document prepared on Sept. 10.
12 posted on 10/08/2001 6:06:48 AM PDT by TheGrimReaper
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To: l33t
Well, it didn't take them long. They'd be singing a different tune if the Eiffel Tower had been hit.
13 posted on 10/08/2001 6:08:12 AM PDT by truthkeeper
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To: TheGrimReaper
I am laughing alot here,,,the french are good for a laugh. For that reason alone we ought to keep them there. Altho the alternative is seductive.
14 posted on 10/08/2001 6:08:21 AM PDT by cajungirl
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To: Nuke'm Glowing
You mean they have not surrendered to Latvia yet?

No, they plan to surrender to Belgium; it's closer.

15 posted on 10/08/2001 6:08:35 AM PDT by Publius6961
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To: B Knotts
Not quite. The Communists are part of France's ruling coalition which makes them somewhat more serious than the scattered beatniks in London and Washington.

France cannot maintain cohesion long enough to successfuly prosecute a war - this has been the case since 1871 at least.

Regards, Ivan

FreeBritannia.co.uk
16 posted on 10/08/2001 6:09:24 AM PDT by MadIvan
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To: Poohbah
I mean, they planted trees on the Paris boulevards so the Germans could march in the shade...

LOL This goes into my bulging folder of French insults.

17 posted on 10/08/2001 6:10:21 AM PDT by ninonitti
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To: l33t
Useless. These people are disgusting ingrates. Did we shed enough blood on their FREE shores, or not? Biggest wusses EVER.
18 posted on 10/08/2001 6:11:23 AM PDT by Dirk McQuickly
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To: Poohbah
I cant rip on the French its just that unlike many here I know why the Battle of France went the way it did.

I guess if I have one reason to hate the French it is because they got involved in one of are colonial wars I wont mention the colony it is not that important.

They massed troops and ships on there coast forcing us to deploy are best troops in Britain, they used the French fleet to stop us outflanking the colonial army.

Any way an ally is an ally

Cheers Tony

19 posted on 10/08/2001 6:11:50 AM PDT by tonycavanagh
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To: l33t
"France must not appear to be a simple appendix of the United States which makes decisions for the entire world,"

I was thinking of a completely different part of a body.

20 posted on 10/08/2001 6:11:55 AM PDT by Dog Gone
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