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Straw takes war to the French in vitriolic United Nations tirade
The Daily Telegraph ^ | March 8, 2003 | Marcus Warren and Robin Gedye

Posted on 03/07/2003 5:45:49 PM PST by MadIvan

So often the grey man of British diplomacy, Jack Straw last night let rip at the French foreign minister in front of a shocked UN Security Council, calling on the international community to enforce the disarmament of Iraq "on its own terms".

In what one admiring American delegate referred to as a "diplomatic call to arms", Mr Straw spelled out in the clearest terms that time had effectively run out for Saddam Hussein, his lies and his prevarications.

He launched an impassioned tirade at Dominique de Villepin and France's policy on Iraq in an outburst that marked a new extreme of rhetoric in the row over how to deal with Saddam.

Staring M de Villepin in the eye and packing his speech with liberal references to "Dominique", Mr Straw directed what turned into an ad hominem assault on his French counterpart.

Mr Straw heaped scorn on the logic of countries - especially France - that are set on giving Iraq more time. "Dominique, you said that the choice before us was disarmament by peace or disarmament by war," Mr Straw said. "Dominique, that's a false choice."

M de Villepin, by far the most charismatic spokesman for the anti-war camp, had no option but to sit through his reprimand. But the expression on his face - and its colour - betrayed rage at his treatment.

The ambush - the French, like everyone else in the room, had no idea what was coming - was the most heated public spat between a senior British and French official in recent times.

It was all the more unexpected because, as Foreign Secretary, Mr Straw has earned a reputation as one of the most colourless, if solid, performers on the world stage.

Whether by accident or design, Mr Straw deployed two English borrowings from French to tear into his opponent. He attacked the concept of "automaticité", the notion that voting for UN resolutions against Iraq automatically triggered war, which was a "canard", he thundered.

Giving the UN chamber a taste of the invective and emotion normally confined to the Dispatch Box in the Commons, Mr Straw also laid into M de Villepin over his underplaying of the role of US and British troops in the Gulf.

The presence of "young men willing to put their lives on the line for this body, the UN", was the key factor in compelling Saddam to make concessions, not diplomacy, he said.

The passion of his argument over the impact of the military threat as opposed to diplomatic pressure appeared to put Mr Straw off his stride. "Dominique, with respect to you, my good friend, I think it's the other way round. I really do.

"The strong outside pressure is, and let's be blunt about this, the presence of over 200,000 US and UK young men and young women willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of this body the United Nations."

Mr Straw continued: "There is only one possible, sensible conclusion that we can draw. We have to increase the pressure on Saddam Hussein. We have to put this man to the test.

"The Iraqis have the answer already - it may take time to fabricate further falsehoods, but the truth takes only seconds to tell."

He said Britain, the United States and Spain were tabling an amended resolution giving Saddam 10 more days to disarm peacefully and warned fellow foreign ministers on the council that if Iraq did not comply, action must follow.

"The council must send Iraq a clear message that we will resolve this crisis on the United Nations' terms, the terms which the council established a month ago when we unanimously adopted resolution 1441."

Gesticulating to emphasise his points and straining to keep the reading of his notes to a minimum while making eye contact with those seated around him, Mr Straw demanded that the council must not retreat from its demands set out in 1441.

"What we need is an irreversible and strategic decision by Iraq to disarm, to yield to the inspectors all of its weapons of mass destruction and all relevant information which it could and should have provided at any time in the last 12 years."

The international community had a duty to remember that the only reason that Saddam had changed in recent weeks and furnished inspectors with more information "was for one thing only - the pressure on the regime. Strong outside pressure."

The only way to achieve disarmament "is by backing our diplomacy with a credible display of force".

"We have to increase the pressure and put this man to the test," he said of Saddam in a pointed attempt to heighten the impact of his words by demonstrating that Britain felt it was dealing with a recognisable figure rather than a faceless regime.

"He can act with astonishing speed when he wants", by handing over thousands of pages of documents within days when the pressure builds on him.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: blair; bush; chirac; devillepin; france; iraq; saddam; straw; uk; us; warlist
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To: EternalVigilance
Yes, we shall see. Bush will favor fully funding the UN, particularly after this episode. He will feel the need to show that he is not a petty man, which he is not. You watch.
201 posted on 03/07/2003 8:12:15 PM PST by Torie
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To: MadIvan
I love Jack Straw! Dominique.......an arrogant boor! When this is over there will be great fun telling the jerky French "I told you so!"
202 posted on 03/07/2003 8:13:13 PM PST by Doctor Don
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To: balls
It was cool. Did you see it? Ville-babe was puckered up like a blow-fish.
203 posted on 03/07/2003 8:13:40 PM PST by geedee
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To: Doctor Don
who needs NBC when we have our own must see tv

the other must see event from today was Villapainintheass press conferance after straw was done


wasn't quite as good as some of the Ritter melt downs but it was pretty good
204 posted on 03/07/2003 8:14:25 PM PST by RummyChick
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To: Torie
Funding for the U.N. has been a tremendous sticking point in Congress in the past; and there is no way that the events of the recent past are going to go unremarked by the constituencies of our Congresscritters, no matter what the President says.
205 posted on 03/07/2003 8:14:55 PM PST by EternalVigilance
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To: Constitution Day
<a href="http://www.ukun.org/xq/asp/SarticleType.17/Article_ID.579/qx/articles_show.htm> Transcript of Straw Speach </a> <P> It's worth reading a coupla' times
206 posted on 03/07/2003 8:15:48 PM PST by DeSoto
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To: Torie
By the way, opposition to giving our tax dollars to the U.N. has not a thing to do with 'pettiness'...it has to do with doing what is best for the USA.
207 posted on 03/07/2003 8:16:37 PM PST by EternalVigilance
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To: paul51
no email for straw but you can send one to tony blair

http://www.parliament.uk/
208 posted on 03/07/2003 8:16:53 PM PST by RummyChick
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To: EternalVigilance
Ya, that is where we part ways totally. By the way, the amount of money we give to the UN is a drop in the bucket, relatively speaking.
209 posted on 03/07/2003 8:17:34 PM PST by Torie
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To: DeSoto
http://www.ukun.org/xq/asp/SarticleType.17/Article_ID.579/qx/articles_show.htm


Sorry
210 posted on 03/07/2003 8:17:55 PM PST by DeSoto
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To: Torie
By the way, the amount of money we give to the UN is a drop in the bucket, relatively speaking.

Yeah, well, you and Ted Turner can pay for it then.

211 posted on 03/07/2003 8:19:13 PM PST by EternalVigilance
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To: EternalVigilance
Our net worths are rapidly converging. :)
212 posted on 03/07/2003 8:19:43 PM PST by Torie
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To: MadIvan; Mo1
Jack Straw laid down the law
Upon the Froggie's chin
Made him spin, did him in
That surrender-monkey, Villepin.

Leni

213 posted on 03/07/2003 8:20:17 PM PST by MinuteGal (THIS JUST IN ! Astonishing fare reduction for FReeps Ahoy Cruise! Check it out, pronto!)
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To: swampfox98
"I say, Jack Straw for Secretary General of the UN! -- and not Bill Clinton. Sadly, I think we are doomed to get Clinton though."

Wouldn't it be great if Clinton was made Sec. General, and then the U.S. withdrew form the UN? What a slap in the face that would be to the sinkmaster.

214 posted on 03/07/2003 8:21:26 PM PST by mass55th
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To: DeSoto
Thanks very much!!
215 posted on 03/07/2003 8:21:26 PM PST by Constitution Day (No, I will not "get over it".)
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To: MadIvan

216 posted on 03/07/2003 8:21:31 PM PST by Hazzardgate
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To: Torie
LOL...that's because he was stupid enough to invest in the U.N....
217 posted on 03/07/2003 8:22:07 PM PST by EternalVigilance
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To: RummyChick
Dr Blix did not, however, tell the Security Council until after yesterday’s foreign ministers’ meeting that he had discovered a new Iraqi drone that could be used to spray chemical weapons over a range of 300 miles. The ultimatum was proposed by Jack Straw in a dramatic speech in which he called on the international community to uphold the will of the UN.

Of course he waited. This would have not been a good thing for him to say during his report. I don't know why I am surprised to see this, but I am.

218 posted on 03/07/2003 8:22:07 PM PST by Green
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To: mickie
"Bill Gertz said the latest news is that France as recently as Jan.'3, has sold parts for Sadaams fighter jets (and I believe he said nuclear weapons) thru a third party.
Anyone else see the show?"

I did not see the show.

But today Powell said something in his remarks at the UN. I haven't heard the media pick up on it, but here is what I wrote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/859048/posts?page=813#813

Now addressing nuclear. New information about a European country where Iraq was found shopping for new tubes. (What country, I wonder???).

219 posted on 03/07/2003 8:22:12 PM PST by cyncooper (God Be With President Bush)
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To: Torie
He will feel the need to show that he is not a petty man, which he is not. You watch.

You are right, Bush is not a petty man .. but this isn't all about Bush

This is about the United Nations, and because of French and Germany taking the stand they are now is making the UN irrelevant

You are right, the UN is an important body, they problem is that over the years the UN has become nothing but a joke and this stunt over Iraq is the last straw for many people.

Can the UN repair itself?, only time will tell, but at the moment, it does not look very good

220 posted on 03/07/2003 8:22:44 PM PST by Mo1 (RALLY FOR AMERICA - VALLEY FORGE,PA MARCH 16, 2003 1:00 PM)
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