France Warns Against War, Hints at Veto

Reuters ^

[RCW2001]

Fri February 7, 2003 10:58 AM ET
By Tom Heneghan

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Jacques Chirac insisted on Friday there was still an alternative to war in Iraq while a senior official hinted Paris might use its veto to block any U.N. resolution authorising a military intervention there.

Chirac reiterated his stand, already the most openly anti-war among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, one day after President Bush declared "the game is over" for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

In a further sign of tension, a presidential aide told the newspaper Le Monde that France was ready to veto any pro-war resolution submitted without clear evidence that the U.N. arms inspections had failed and Iraq presented a serious threat.

Russia, another veto-wielding Security Council member, joined France on Friday in rejecting any U.N. war resolution right now and permanent member China said it agreed with France that all efforts should be made to avoid war.

"We haven't gone to the end, far from it...there is still an alternative to war," Chirac said after meeting Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen in Paris.

"I've spoken to numerous foreign leaders and can see that this view is widely shared," added Chirac, who has been telephoning leaders of states on the 15-seat Security Council to sound out their stand on any vote.

"If there were to be any particular initiative taken, notably war, there would of course have to be a new debate by the Security Council," he said in a clear reference to the risk of unilateral action outside of the U.N. framework.

AIDE EVOKES DE GAULLE

An unnamed Chirac aide told Le Monde that France was ready to risk serious strains in its relations with pro-war powers United States and Britain to defend its view that only the United Nations has the right to declare a war on Iraq.

"If the question were put today, France would say no to a resolution authorising the use of force," said the aide, described by Le Monde as "an authorized commentator of presidential thinking."

France would maintain this position "as long as there is no patent failure of the inspection system and the inspectors do not say they have been hindered in their mission and an imminent danger is not demonstrated," he said.

"If we don't agree, well then, we won't agree," the aide added. "And that won't be the end of anything, just like de Gaulle's decision to pull out of NATO or his Phnom Penh speech did not mean the end of French-American relations. Those ties have a thick skin."

During a visit to Cambodia in 1966, de Gaulle delivered a speech criticizing the U.S. war in neighboring Vietnam.

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin spoke out on Thursday against any Security Council resolution authorising war for the time being. The U.S. and Britain have said they would support a resolution authorising an attack.

NO PREPARATIONS FOR WAR

Earlier on Friday, Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie insisted NATO should not begin boosting Turkey's defenses in case of a war in Iraq and said France would not agree to do so when the alliance reconsiders the issue early next week.

On Thursday, NATO postponed until next week a decision on measures to protect Turkey but Secretary-General George Robertson expressed confidence that those blocking it -- France, Germany and Belgium -- would come around to support the plan.

Asked by Radio France Internationale if NATO could reach agreement on war preparations early next week, as Robertson had predicted, Alliot-Marie said: "That is not our view at all."

Wednesday's presentation by Secretary of State Colin Powell to the U.N. Security Council outlining Washington's case against Baghdad "only reinforced our view of the role of the U.N. inspectors. The inspectors must...do their work."

"For us, today, we are in the inspection phase. We are not in a phase of preparing for war," Alliot-Marie said.

Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, on a visit to India, told students in New Delhi that Iraq had to disarm quickly.

"Our approach is to ask Iraq to disarm quickly, to listen to all the pressure from around the world and take the necessary measures so that war can be avoided," he said.

[jriemer]

What's France?

[mhking]

"The word is no. I am therefore going anyway."

--Admiral James T. Kirk

[babaloo]

Colin Powell was blind-sided by France a couple of weeks ago. Now it seems that Tony Blair-after announcing yesterday (or at least as reported by Reuters)that there would be no vetos of a second resolution-is the recipient of a French betrayal. They are running out of friends fast.

[PhiKapMom]

Looks like Blair got doublecrossed by the French in their hint of abstaining. What do the French have to hide in Iraq?

Time to tell the United Nations Security Council to stuff it and if the UN wants money ask France, Germany, Russia, and China.

If we have to go with a coalition of Governments outside the UN, then the UN is worthless and doesn't deserve another red cent from this Country. Use the money for the US to fund our War on Terrorism. At the same time, give them an eviction notice to vacate the United States!

[KC_Conspirator]

I think its seriously time to pull our interests out of France and possibly vacate the UN altogther.

[Dog Gone]

The burden isn't on us to show that the inspections have failed. The burden is on Iraq to disarm and comply.

There's a huge difference there, and one that France knows is totally disingenuous on its part.

Nor will we accept their premise that only the UN can authorize war. We have not surrendered our sovereignty or authority to act in our national interest to a UN committe with veto power.

It's sad that France has.

If they block the NATO decision to send forces to Turkey on Monday, there is a strong chance that NATO will dissolve. Perhaps not immediately, but inevitably.

France is playing an international game of chicken here, in more than one way.

[wizardoz]

"If we don't agree, well then, we won't agree," the aide added. "And that won't be the end of anything..."

Oh, it'll be the end of something, little Mr. Man. Wait and see.

[No Truce With Kings]

Perhaps a more appropriate HQ building for the UN would be the old League of Nations building. Thanks to la belle France, the United Nations is achieving the same level of relevance as the League.

(See -- we should thank the French.)

[conservativecorner]

The frogs don't understand that their veto is not going to matter. The frogs are irrelevant!!

[wizardoz]

What do the French have to hide in Iraq?

Did you read Oliver North's townhall.com column today? Very interesting remarks on just this subject.

[LibWhacker]

"And that won't be the end of anything, just like de Gaulle's decision to pull out of NATO or his Phnom Penh speech did not mean the end of French-American relations. Those ties have a thick skin."

Cowardly fools still don't get it. I wouldn't be particularly sorry to see us break relations with France over this.

[Snowy]

From where I'm sitting, it appears as if Jacques is strapped...

[rbmillerjr]

That's it. If they do that we contain them as Richard Perle suggested the other day.

Either that or we deploy Cub Scout Pack 21.

[PhiKapMom]

If France, Germany, and Belgium block providing security for Turkey, the NATO organization will fold IMO to replaced by one of Eastern Europe, Italy, Greece, Turkey, with Great Britain.

This is beneath contempt to not have immediately said they would support Turkey.

France kicked our military out a long time ago and at one time I don't believe they were even a member of NATO (could be wrong). That said, it is time we told the French and Chirac where they could go and pull out any remaining US Government activities out of France except a skeleton crew at the Embassy.

The French sure have a short memory to team up with Germany!

[blam]

"An unnamed Chirac aide told Le Monde that France was ready to risk serious strains in its relations with pro-war powers United States and Britain to defend its view that only the United Nations has the right to declare a war on Iraq."

Stupid POS!

[CatoRenasci]

I'm not sure what the Frogs have to hide, but I am sure their attitude is going to ensure that whatever it is does not get covered up in gratitude for their help.

The French veto threats are designed, I think, to make sure the UN is not asked for a second resolution -- so they can have it both ways, as ususal.

My contempt for the French has risen to new heights over the situation in Iraq. I am very disappointed in the Germans -- how can they support such a fasciist monster as Saddam only two generations after they succumbed to Hitler's allure. Bah. The only real resistance to Hitler in Germany came from the higher aristocracy in the in the officer corps, survivors of the old Prussian Army. Most of them died, and the aristocracy has little role in modern Germany, save for a few in the FDP. I often wonder how much the decline in the characters of the French and Germans is a result of the destruction of their aristocracies.

[PhiKapMom]

Thanks for the info. I will go read. Been sick the last two days -- should have gotten a flu shot!

[goodnesswins]

Who CARES what the Frenchies say?ALLIES FOR LIBERTY & FREEDOM?

THESE ARE the 20 ALLIES for IRAQI FREEDOM

U.S., Britian, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Italy, Portugal, Turkey,

Slovakia, Denmark, Czech, Spain, Quatar, Jordan, Albania, Kuwait, Israeli, Australia and Japan

U.S., British, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Polish, Italy, Portugal,

Slovakia, Denmark, Czech, Spanish, Quatar, Kuwaiti, Israeli, Australian, Albanian and Japanese

FREE the IRAQI women & children!!! GRAPHICAL VERSION: WHO has joined the ALLIES FOR LIBERTY & FREEDOM?

THESE ARE the 26 ALLIES for IRAQI people’s (women & children included) FREEDOM

U.S., Britian, Australia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, Lithuania

Slovakia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Spain, Quatar, Jordan, Albania, Kuwait, Israel, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Macedonia, Croatia, and Japan

FREE the IRAQI people!!!

	What OTHER countries want the IRAQI citizens FREEDOM?
	UK	AUSTRALIA
	ISRAEL	POLAND
SPAIN	CZECH	PORTUGAL
KUWAIT	HUNGARY	QATAR
ITALY	JAPAN	JORDAN
DENMARK	SLOVAKIA	TURKEY
ESTONIA	LATVIA	LITHUANIA
MACEDONIA	SLOVENIA	ALBANIA
CROATIA	BULGARIA
goodnesswins