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.

[bushfamfan]

This is interesting and I don't see valid reasons for France to have agreed to the Security Council resolution. France is completely out of line because they agreed to the resolution, but they're trying to play games figuring they can do this to the United States because we aren't Iraq. I believe France is concerned with its dealings with Iraq coming to the fore when war happens and Iraq's secrets are revealed. Why doesn't France just admit they find it acceptable for Saddam Hussein to have weapons of mass destruction and continue on with the programs. The French are just sick and we've got to show them they are betraying our country and putting the security of the world at risk due to their OWN GREED and refusal to deal with Iraq and letting Iraq continue on. They are the problem too. We should dig up every American serviceman on French soild, it is a disgrace. That country is a disgrace and we should never offer assistance to them in their own times of national security because they show repeated nonconcern for our own.

[Servant of the Nine]

First Baghdad, then Paris.

Big Food wants the truffle fields siezed to provide a cheap Perigeaux Sauce precursor.

So9

[tractorman]

France; The only country to have a monument for each one of its defeats.

[PhiKapMom]

I often wonder how much the decline in the characters of the French and Germans is a result of the destruction of their aristocracies.

I think Germany has also suffered greatly from the influx of East Germans into their Government at every level. Not sure the East German Government officials that became part of the United Germany have changed all that much from their days behind the Berlin Wall.

[showme_the_Glory]

I agree. Nice job by Ollie

[rbmillerjr]

To all -- any suggestions --Need Help, I want to buy a credible book regarding Frances modern history. From 1900 on, covering WWs, cold war, Nato history etc.

Thanks in Advance.

[arm958]

It must truly suck to be an irrelevant, has-been, self-serving, corrupt, decadent country. I can't wait to find out the extent of French "cooperation" with Iraq after we go in and turn on the spotlight of truth.

[Charles Martel]

First Baghdad, then Paris.

I have read a few references in a few online forums to bumper stickers which read: "First Iraq, Then France". Anyone have one and/or know where to get one?

[wizardoz]

Ooo, my sympathies. I haven't had a flu shot in years and one year it got me good. I had to crawl to the bathroom, where I enacted scenes from The Exorcist. For days I couldn't eat or drink anything but 7-Up and oranges, for some reason.

[KellyAdmirer]

France does not seem to understand the logistical realities of an invasion, doing it while forces are available and in position, before the summer heat, and so forth. They are playing right into Iraq's hands, Iraq knowing full well that if it can only delay things a couple months it probably won't be invaded at all until next year and that the expense and strain of the US keeping forces that long will make the whole project collapse. At which point, France can puff itself up as the big defender of peace, Hussein can keep building up his WMD stockpile and become the leader of anti-American sentiment, and the US can just go crawl under a rock for all the influence it will have in global affairs.

[wizardoz]

That country is a disgrace and we should never offer assistance to them in their own times of national security because they show repeated nonconcern for our own.

I'm with you. Let them eat cake.

[Dog Gone]

What's even stranger about the situation is that France recently had elections which swept the Socialists out of power. Except for their lunatic fringe right, Chirac represents the "conservatives" in France.

Unlike Germany, where their pacifist Chancellor is hugely unpopular, and the conservatives are on the upswing, in France it's not going to get any better than this. In Germany, at least there is hope.

It appears that Europe is going to fracture over this war in Iraq, and it has enormous ramifications.

[Gorilla44]

My tinfoil hat theory. France has no problem with Iraq making a nuke as long as they are in on the oil deals and the US gets totally screwed.

[Charles Martel]

France does not seem to understand the logistical realities of an invasion

True, and the irony is so thick you could cut it with a bayonet.

[BlueLancer]

"Over the Hills and Far Away" - modern version;
(from SHARPE'S EAGLE)

Four thousand dollars on the drum,
For those who’ll volunteer to come
And enlist to fight the foe today,
Over the hills and far away.

O’er the hills, we will attack
Afghanistan and then Iraq;
George Bush commands and we obey,
Over the hills and far away.

When duty calls me, I must go
To stand and face another foe;
But part of me will always stray
Over the hills and far away.

O’er the hills, from sea to land,
Iraq, and then on to Iran;
George Bush commands and we obey,
Over the hills and far away.

If I should fall to fight no more,
As many comrades did before,
Then ask the pipes and drums to play
"Over the hills and far away".

O’er the hills, pro patria,
Iran and then Arabia;
George Bush commands and we obey,
Over the hills and far away.

Then fall in, lads, behind the drum,
With colours blazing like the sun,
Along the road to come what may,
Over the hills and far away.

O’er the hills we will advance,
Through Belgium, Germany, and France;
George Bush commands and we obey,
Over the hills and far away."

[JeeperFreeper]

On a another post, a FReeper by the name of Mr. B, succintly identified France's reason for not supporting disarming Hussein. He said that much of the Iraqi war material (WMD) will have "Made in France" labels.

[PhiKapMom]

On one of the news programs that I was watching, they were discussing that the German Chancellor didn't represent the opinions of a lot of Germans thus his defeat in the last local elections that were held.

On the other hand, they said Chirac and the French were standing together which spoke volumes to me about the French. Scarey to think Chirac considers himself a conservative.

[HumanaeVitae]

"If the question were put today, France would say no to a resolution authorising the use of force,"

Apparently the only country the France won't surrender to is the one resposible for it's existence.

[hchutch]

Agreed. France and Germany on one end - the U.K and the rest of Europe on the other.

[ThinkDifferent]

I hope they do veto. We'll attack anyway along with our real allies, and thereby clearly demonstrate the UN's irrelevance.