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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dayuhan who wrote (8938)	9/22/2003 9:25:14 PM
From: Nadine Carroll	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793681

Long before Iraq became a major issue, the French were staking out the need to block American unilateralism and restrain American use of power as a major part of their political and diplomatic identity I agree. There is only one constant in French policy, and that is the desire to screw America. Witness their current touching demand for Iraqi democratic autonomy, they who supported Saddam from first to last.

To: Dayuhan who wrote (8938)	9/23/2003 4:20:31 AM
From: unclewest	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 793681

Iraq is all about money as far as France is concerned and always has been. I don't think this is true. Long before Iraq became a major issue, the French were staking out the need to block American unilateralism... The only unilateralism that was significantly affecting Iraq pre-war was French based. And that was all about money for Chirac and the French! Chirac's greatest fear has been that French companies will be locked out of the competition for postwar contracts. Totalfinaelf signed a contract in 2001 to develop the majnoon oilfield with an estimated capacity to produce 100 million barrels per day. Prewar, 25% of Iraq's imports were from French corporations. The French, German, Russian summit in April was all about money...They wanted the UN in charge of postwar Iraq reconstruction so they could retain their contracts written when Saddam was in power. At Baghdad's last trade fair last November, 101 German and 84 French companies attended. And lets not forget the French sold and built the 2 Iraqui nuclear reactors. After the Iraq/Iran war, French companies sold Baghdad warplanes armed with Exocet missiles. Chirac is the only Western head of state to know Saddam personally. According to a report from Stratfor, "France sold Iraq two nuclear weapons reactors in a deal initiated by Chirac, then France's prime minister, and Saddam Hussein, then Iraq's vice-president. The deal, which reportedly sparked a close personal friendship between Hussein and Chirac (Hussein is rumored to have financed Chirac's run for mayor of Paris in 1977), also included $1.5 billion in French conventional weapons systems (like 60 Mirage F1 fighter planes), and $70 million in Iraqi oil contracts." Since 1998 there were over 3,000 UN approved Iraq contracts for oil field parts...over half went to French firms...only 2 to US companies. France claims to be owed $8 billion by Iraq. In 1996 the French back out of their UN obligation enforcing the Northern no-fly zone that protects the Kurds. In 1998 they left the southern no-fly zone, abandoning the Shiites. Both of these actions supported Saddam's power base thereby protecting French contracts. Iraq is all about money for the French! Iraq has always been about money for the French. When Chirac and other French were saying they are in favor of sanctions and continued inspections, they meant they are in favor of preventing the U.S. from changing the status quo and depriving the French of blood money. unclewest