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

To: greenspirit who wrote (71518)	2/5/2003 2:55:26 PM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (6) \| Respond to of 281500

French Foreign Minister Dominque de Villepin The French are really beginning to annoy me. France are about important in the world today, perhaps less, than Italy. The difference is that the Italians know it, and act accordingly, and the French refuse to admit it, and act accordingly. The important thing about this is that the French really hate us. The Italians are greatful that we ran the Germans, and the native fascists, out of Italy in WWII. They were greatful for the relief after the war, and for our help in keeping the communists out of power. But the French are privately ashamed that we had to run the Germans out of France twice in the last Century, American aid to France after WWII caused, resentment, not gratitude, and their only relief was that we were no more successful against the Vietnamese than they were. Their cars are terrible, they are so unsafe they can't even sell them here. They are ugly, and have yellow headlights that make them look even worse. There are hundreds of things that show the French are inferior, but they are unwilling to admit it. The one thing that gives the French the greatest pleasure is to be able to tell us to go F**k ourselves.

To: greenspirit who wrote (71518)	2/5/2003 3:27:02 PM
From: BigBull	Respond to of 281500

The French response is laughable. Hilarious really. First they essentially admit that Iraq is in material breach of 1441. The proposed solution is containment. The French were willing participants in the destruction of just such a policy for the past 8 or 9 years. They seem perfectly willing to use force in West Africa, though. The more Villepin opens his mouth the bigger fool he looks.

To: greenspirit who wrote (71518)	2/5/2003 3:50:56 PM
From: slacker711	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

The only reason why the inspectors are allowed in right now is due to the threat of US force. The second the US's attention is focused elsewhere (say North Korea), Iraq will kick the inspectors out. My guess is that Russia, France and China will then argue that sanctions are enough to stop Iraq. About a year after that you will start to see calls to end the sanctions against Iraq. A quick flash back to an article four months before 9/11. The current arguements of France, Russia, and China are more than a little ironic. cnni.co.uk U.N. to discuss Iraq sanctions May 21, 2001 Posted: 7:58 AM EDT (1158 GMT) U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan with Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov UNITED NATIONS -- The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council are meeting to discuss relaxing sanctions against Iraq. Ambassadors from the U.S., Britain, Russia, China and France are due to hold a joint afternoon session in New York on Monday to examine proposals on easing the sanctions, which have been in place since August 1990. The proposals, formulated by the U.S. and Britain, involve dropping embargoes on all non-military imports to Iraq, allowing everything from whiskey to bicycles to enter the country. Military items will continue to be banned, while all "dual-use" items -- those with a potential military application -- will require specific authorisation from a special Security Council sanctions committee. The U.N. would continue to administer Iraq's oil revenue through an existing "oil-for-food" accord whereby proceeds of Iraqi oil sales are placed in an escrow account from which payments are made for essential consumer items. The new proposal would not require Iraqi co-operation with U.N. weapons inspectors, who have not been allowed into the country since 1998. Previous plans for lifting sanctions have been dependant on Baghdad submitting to U.N. arms inspections. Nor will the proposals require strict monitoring of Iraq's borders, although there will be "close co-operation" between the U.N. and Iraq's neighbours. Britain and the U.S. are hoping to get the new proposals accepted by the full 15-member Security Council by May 31, before the next six-month phase of the "oil-for-food" programme begins. Neither Russia nor China, however, believe such swift adoption of the proposals will be possible. "I am very suspicious," Russian diplomat Gennady Gatilov told Reuters. Both countries, along with France, have long advocated the suspension of sanctions. Neither, however, think the new plan goes far enough. "Our U.S. partners have put forth their vision, their approach," Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said in Washington on Friday. "We also have our own proposals."