France says Saddam arrest should unite world powers
By Catherine Bremer
zawya.com
PARIS, Dec 14 (Reuters) - France, which opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq, said on Sunday Saddam Hussein's capture offered the international community a chance to bury its differences and unite in rebuilding the country.
France fell out with the United States when it tried to stop it going to war in Iraq without United Nations backing but now wants to avoid its companies being excluded from potentially lucrative reconstruction projects.
"This (arrest) is a major event which should strongly contribute to the democratisation and the stabilisation of Iraq and allow the Iraqis to once more be masters of their destiny in a sovereign Iraq," President Jacques Chirac said.
Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said he hoped the event would be the catalyst for world powers to unite over Iraq.
"This is a very strong symbol for the Iraqi people. We have a chance to get out of this crisis and we must all seize it together," Villepin told a news briefing.
"We hope this will lead to a reconciliation of all parties, an essential condition for a rapid return to Iraqi sovereignty and the emergence of real democracy. It's also an encouragement for the international community to become united again."
Villepin reiterated France's view that the United Nations should be given a bigger role in overseeing Iraq's reconstruction and the transition to a fully-fledged democracy to ensure the process complies with international laws.
"We have today a path for the reconstruction of Iraq, which we must all commit to...giving a full role to the United Nations to guarantee the legality of the process," he said.
Efforts to rebuild trust damaged by the trans-Atlantic row before the war have been undermined by a U.S. decision last week to exclude countries which opposed the war from lucrative reconstruction contracts.
These countries, including France, can bid only for sub-contracts. The European Union has said is studying whether the decision is in line with international trade law.
Villepin, who like Chirac will meet an Iraqi delegation on Monday including interim Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, said he had told U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell that France wanted a full role in the dialogue on Iraq.
Relations between Paris and Washington have remained frosty even after the end of Saddam's rule. France has said the U.S. occupying forces should swiftly hand power to an Iraqi administration and set a date for elections. (Additional reporting by Laure Bretton) ((Writing by Catherine Bremer, Editing by Timothy Heritage, Paris Newsroom +33 1 4949 5146, Reuters Messaging: catherine.bremer.reuters.com@reuters.net)) |
