France Forgives Us (what a relief...):
French ambassador: Bitterness should be put aside
By SIOBHAN McDONOUGH
The Associated Press
4/1/03 9:42 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) -- France's ambassador to the United States says his country has been "a bit of a scapegoat," portrayed as the driving force in the U.N. Security Council's resistance to the U.S.-led war on Iraq -- but he wants bygones to be bygones.
Russia, Germany and China had also argued Iraq could be disarmed peacefully through strengthened weapons inspections, Jean-David Levitte said Tuesday.
Still, Levitte said, "Let's go beyond the bitterness of what happened" and join in a common effort to rebuild Iraq once the war is over.
The United Nations should play a pivotal role in reconstruction, Levitte said, warning U.S. aid on its own may be perceived as an occupation.
Levitte, speaking to about 100 people at The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, said his country is not pacifist and believes in force when necessary. Nonetheless, French leaders were convinced that Saddam Hussein -- his back against the wall -- was starting to cooperate with U.N. inspections and the disarmament regimen.
"He's a bloody dictator," said Levitte, "but at the same time, he's a survivor."
The ambassador said France's complaint about trans-Atlantic relations is not that the United States is too strong, but that "we think the Europeans are too weak."
What might appear to be a challenge to America's power in Europe is in fact an attempt to make Europe a stronger entity, able to stand up better to crises in its borders. "We absolutely need the military might of the United States," he said.
Levitte did not believe that the recent disagreement between the United States and France will have long-lasting damage.
"It's important that United States find in France a true friend and ally, but also a country that expresses its view" even when the two disagree, he said.
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