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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: bela_ghoulashi who wrote (53258)	10/19/2002 5:17:30 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Jacque Chirac attends a conference of Francophone world leaders -- with Sheikh Nasrallah in the front row. (I'm sure there are some in France who still remember the 58 French troops killed by Hizbullah in 1983). Appeasement unlimited, that's la specialite de la maison of "our close ally" the French: Summit of Francophone leaders opens in Lebanon By The Associated Press BEIRUT, Lebanon - A summit of French-speaking nations opened Friday in Beirut, with leaders expected to seek a united stance on Iraq-dialogue before war. Leaders and delegates from the 55 governments of La Francophonie, the loose confederation of former French colonies, states and regions where French is spoken, were holding their first such summit to take place on Arab soil. Topics of discussion were to include culture - the group's primary concern - terrorism, the Middle East conflict and the threat of war against Iraq. French President Jacques Chirac, in the opening round of speeches, pressed a position he has taken for weeks: that the use of military force in Iraq or elsewhere must be "a last resort." "It can only be allowed in case of legitimate defense or after a decision by the competent international bodies," Chirac said. As leaders gathered ahead of the opening speeches, Hezbollah guerrilla chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah took a front-row seat alongside Lebanese religious leaders. The United States considers the Lebanese militant group a terrorist organization, a position rejected by Lebanon. Lebanese President Emile Lahoud used his opening speech to launch a scathing attack against Israel and to reject the threat of war against Iraq. While civilized nations are trying to eradicate terrorism, he said, "the Israeli occupation immortalizes and glorifies it under its most perverse way, one that is state-sponsored." He accused Israel of exploiting the Sept. 11 attacks and of portraying "its repression of the Arab resistance as a locally applied chapter of the world's of fight against the terrorism." He also said Lebanon opposes any attack against Iraq. "Excuses to justify military action, namely the disregard by Iraq of certain United Nations resolutions and its production of weapons of mass destruction, will remain unconvincing as long as Israel, which has nuclear arms, continues to ignore with impunity a large number of resolutions voted by the UN since 1948. The summit's theme, "dialogue between cultures," has a special relevance for Lebanon, which was devastated by the 1975-90 civil war between its Muslim and Christian communities. "The importance of this summit in Beirut is to assert, on this thousand-year-old cultural melting pot that is Lebanon, that the dialogue of the cultures can be stronger than the confrontation of the inhumanities disguised as a clash of civilizations," Lahoud said in his opening speech. The capital has planted palm trees and strung up flags from member states as diverse as Haiti and Vietnam to brighten up a city which still bears the scars of war. Security measures are extensive. Lebanon has deployed some 8,200 officers in Beirut, from plainclothes security agents to black-clad anti-terrorism troops. Armed police and soldiers man checkpoints, ride in armored vehicles and fly over the city in helicopters. haaretzdaily.com

To: bela_ghoulashi who wrote (53258)	10/19/2002 5:23:14 PM
From: Eashoa' M'sheekha	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

" outright attack does seem to have some practical utility." Yes,but only if you go by the concept that I must threaten to shoot you if you don't do what I say.Some might call it overkill,others may say, " Hey,whatever works is fine with me ". The problem is as I suggested.Eventually this becomes the norm and it loses its shock factor, not to mention perpetually upsetting the International Community. This is the SAME International Community the US is relying upon for the ongoing war on terror.That's my point on that BBM. Some look at results - some look back at the means to attain those results and become suspect of future manifestations that follow the same line. I don't buy the " we were scaring them into submission " line myself.I believe they had it wrong from the outset. Either way, the damage is done on the International Stage, and it will take some fancy footwork to get folks to buy tickets for the next act without changes in the script. AGAIN -- JMO