You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Europe
France warns against hasty U.S. pullout from Iraq
2005-12-02
PARIS, Nov 29 (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Dominique a man we are told de Villepin, one of the sharpest critics of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, warned Washington on Tuesday against pulling out troops without regard to regional security.
Guess he didn't get the memo from Murtha
Villepin, interviewed in Paris by CNN, said a badly planned withdrawal could cause chaos in Iraq, "which of course would be disastrous for the whole region."
Mais oui.
U.S. officials said last week the Pentagon planned to reduce its troop presence in Iraq from 155,000 to 138,000 after Dec. 15 parliamentary elections there, and could cut numbers back to 100,000 by next summer if conditions allowed.

Asked whether Washington should set a timetable for bringing home troops, Villepin said any withdrawal "should be coordinated with the local situation in Iraq and the regional situation."
We don't want any of the terroristscoming home coming here after the Americans leave, Dominique said.
"I think that the timetable should be a global timetable," he said. "The real timetable is the Iraqi situation."
A global time table? Is that like global warming or is he calling for a time table for the US to withdraw all troops from everywhere?
Villepin identified two main risks in Iraq: "the division of Iraq, which is of course a nightmare for the region, and ... a growing role of terrorism."

The international community should support an Arab League effort to hold a national reconciliation conference in Iraq, a regrouping of political forces in the country and further cooperation among all countries in the region, he said.
Yeah, Bush is going to sign on for that. Riiight
Villepin, who as fashion model foreign minister gave a dramatic speech at the United Nations in early 2003 opposing U.S. plans for war in Iraq, said: "We knew since the beginning that it was very easy to go to war but very difficult to get out of Iraq. We are French. We know everything. Just ask us."

But he said France wanted to work with its allies in Iraq. Zark or the Baathists? "We have to face the situation as it is, and it is the responsibility of all the international community to help the process, to make sure that we go forward all together."
Posted by:Ebbatle Unains1728

#23  lyot - I spent 26 years keeping track of what was going on in the world, especially Europe. I have a Master's in European Geopolitics. I lived and worked in the heart of Europe for ten years, working in the main intelligence center for European Command in Wiesbaden, Germany. I know more about European politics than I care to. You think I'm ignorant? You think I don't know just what the hell is going on? You are wrong. In ten years, France will be unable to recover, and will surrender to Islam. The rest of Europe will rip it apart in self-defense, or go down, too. Ninety percent of the French know there's a problem, but refuse to deal with it. I think you're part of that problem.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2005-12-02 23:16  

#22  I get annoyed with these statements in isolation. First, I hear if we pursue and fight the jihadis, we increase recruitment and they will come after us. Then I hear, “if we don’t fight the jihadis and leave Iraq immediately, ‘A hasty departure would be the Jihadi's dream come true’”. Uh-doesn’t this indicate that jihadis will just be jihadis no matter what we do?

Maybe France needs to wake up to realize “...these Jihadi's will take a change [sic] at the easiest victim first...” lyot, you are right to identify France as the easiest victim. And why is that?

Because her only survival tactic is a trade.

“France getting involved in Irak from the start might have led to an even more direct terroristic threat...” That is a perfect encapsulation of French foreign policy: “How do we change so that jihadis will leave us alone”?
Posted by: jules 2   2005-12-02 22:13  

#21  France has the toughest anti-terrorism laws in Europe.

Pretty difficult to tell from what's been going on over there of late. It's also rather difficult to reconcile France's putative anti-terrorist stance with how they have sheltered rat b@stard maggots like Khomeini and Suha Arafat.
Posted by: Zenster   2005-12-02 19:10  

#20  France has the toughest anti-terrorism laws in Europe. They have a fellow running around acting as both prosecutor and judge. Cuts down the time required to get warrants. The problems of dealing with terrorists exist on the political side rather than the judiciary.
Posted by: Rafael   2005-12-02 18:45  

#19  old patriot, your ignorant statement only shows how little you know about French anti terrorism policy.

lyot, I'd wager Old Patriot's statements reflect more anger than ignorance. France's near continuous interference in America's foreign policy, not to mention conducting naval maneuvers with communist China along with its pro-Palestinian stance and sheltering of Islamist hardliners have essentially rendered your country a pariah amongst nations fighting the global war on terrorism.

As to your anti-terrorism policies, the recent spate of Islamist violence in France has put paid to just how ineffectual they are. You are well on your way to becoming the first Islamic nation in Europe. Congratulations. I dread to think that America may have to intervene to save Europe a third time.
Posted by: Zenster   2005-12-02 18:36  

#18  France is missing an opportunity to remain silent.
Posted by: Pappy   2005-12-02 18:32  

#17  lyot,
A third of the young children in France are already muslim. With a muslim fertility rate 3 times the native French, in 10 years the majority of babies will be born muslim. The muslims win in democratic France very soon by doing nothing. It is the native French, if they want to keep France, who must become barbaric. The game is over. The fans are only waiting for the clock to run out.
Posted by: ed   2005-12-02 17:51  

#16  old patriot, your ignorant statement only shows how little you know about French anti terrorism policy.. Suggesting that the Dutch & the British are more efficient in their way of 'dealing' with the problem is simply making a caricature of the situation. Sad, actually
Posted by: lyot   2005-12-02 17:17  

#15  Divide France between the Dutch, who are finally getting a clue, the Germans, who will simply go barbarian on the islamonazis, the Spanish, who are willing to at least lock people up (more than the French will do), and the British (Normandy and Brittany, which were part of Britain until given back to France as a gesture of good will). France's reason to exist no longer holds water.

Oh, and divide Belgium between the Dutch and the Germans. They never DID have a reason to exist.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2005-12-02 17:10  

#14  VillePinhead must be confusin' the Iraq war with intercourse (early pullout or premature ejectulation?). In VillePinhead's case, wooo to know.
Posted by: Captain America   2005-12-02 16:56  

#13  This from the man who said the riots in France were nor riots but "civil unrest". Dickweed.
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2005-12-02 15:28  

#12  The Europeans are ostrich who can do nothing to protect themselves except put their heads in the sand.

They could do nothing to prevent the violent disintegration of Yugoslavia. In fact the Germans abetted it with every one else, including
Bush I, winking. Then when it turned to genocide the Euros were helpless until the Americans came in to wage war on Serbia from 10,000 feet.

The Car-B-Ques are the result of Irak? I think not. Look at three generations of mohammedans brought in to do the grunge work and never assimilated.

And the entire French foreign ministry seems to have been on Saddam's payroll as well. Nice friends the French make.

So trace as much of the collateral damage to France's own actions as to the American presence in Irak. At least we're killing the scum. The French just take bribes from them.
Posted by: Ebbatle Unains1728   2005-12-02 14:45  

#11  49,
If you keep in mind the long history France has with regaderd to terrorist attacks, it was a very sain guess that a war in Iraq would bring more heat to Europe. In fact, it's European countries who are now in the first place faced to deal with the collateral damage caused by the US in Irak .
Posted by: lyot   2005-12-02 14:20  

#10  France's positions are not illogical, in French logic, just shortsighted and dishonorable.
Posted by: Jairong Clomons7266   2005-12-02 14:19  

#9  2b,
France getting involved in Irak from the start might have led to an even more direct terroristic threat, all the time keeping in mind the situation is already pretty bad at the moment.

It's not illogical France demands the US to clean up the mess to such an extent the Iraqi army & police forces are ready to take over themselves. A hasty departure would be the Jihadi's dream come true. Iraq becoming a fully fledge training base, it's clear Europe would become the first victim , as these Jihadi's will take a change at the easiest victim first
Posted by: lyot   2005-12-02 14:15  

#8  I'm still trying to decide if Dominique will die of old age before the muslim conquest of France shows his head being removed on video. I am currently leaning towards the video.
Posted by: ed   2005-12-02 13:46  

#7  Considering the events of the last month the Prime Minister has come to realize if we leave Iraq then France will most likely be the next target and will fall to the Muzzies. This is the classic when the heats on you, the US, it wont be on me, France. The problem with France, unlike other third rate nations, is because of the EU and UN we cant just ignore them, well maybe just a little.
Posted by: 49 pan   2005-12-02 13:44  

#6  Or maybe Europe should take care of itself for a change, and deal with its homegrown jihadis without crying to America about it?
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2005-12-02 13:31  

#5  lyot - you are one logic challenged individual. Run along to your short bus.

You can't have it both ways. If as you say, "At the moment, the recruitment of salafi-jihadists in European countries is getting frightening" and France was wise, as you imply, not get involved due to that cowardly cry that it might make the jihadi's mad, then shouldn't Villipinhead be advocating that we get out immediately to help decrease the recruitment of salafi-jihadists?
Posted by: 2b   2005-12-02 13:23  

#4  de Villepin's remarks are quite logical . With hindsight, one could say that France was right not to get involved in the Irak war, considering the risk involved for the European countries.. At the moment, the recruitement of salafi-jihadists in European countries is getting frigtening.

Posted by: lyot   2005-12-02 13:14  

#3  Gee, thanks so much for honoring us with your advice. But shouldn't you guys be eating cheese or something important like that?
/snark
Posted by: mojo   2005-12-02 13:12  

#2  stfu, Villipinhead. You are invisible. No one cares what you think, say or do.
Posted by: 2b   2005-12-02 13:07  

#1  Let me get this straight. We should never have gone in and don't we dare pull out now. Sounds like the old "Stop", "Don't" ... "Don't stop" routine to me. This sort of criticism, coming from the land of Car-B-Ques™, is simply hilarious.
Posted by: Zenster   2005-12-02 12:58  

00:00