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Europe
Chirac returns to the world stage and makes the fur fly
2006-08-03
Three years after failing to block the US invasion of Iraq, France has returned to the diplomatic world stage to exploit calm the Lebanon conflict. President Chirac, returning to his favourite role of world statesman, has taken a bold line at the United Nations that conflicts with Washington and London. He is capitalising on the discredit that Iraq caused les Anglo-Saxons and drawing on FranceÂ’s past as the governing power of Lebanon.

The strategy is risky because France was targeted by Hezbollah and its Iranian sponsors over its intervention in Beirut in the 1980s. One bomb attack in 1983 killed 41 French paratroops in the city. M Chirac is worried that a false step could feed unrest in FranceÂ’s Muslim-dominated housing estates. But aides to M Chirac are confident that the US will accept the resolution tabled by France at the UN Security Council. It seeks a ceasefire, a political agreement involving Israel, Lebanon and Hezbollah and the deployment of a peacekeeping force.

Washington and London have resisted the demand for an immediate ceasefire and want a military force to compel the disarmament of the Shia Muslim militia. France refused yesterday to take part in a US-inspired meeting to prepare a UN force, saying that it was premature. But Paris expects to contribute thousands of troops and possibly lead the contingent.

If a UN force is agreed, the first French forces would be dispatched from marines aboard a naval flotilla of four ships off Lebanon and Cyprus. French officials say that the dispatch of any French forces must follow a phased timetable. “It has to be a real ceasefire, not just a halt in shelling,” the Defence Ministry said. France is also insisting that Iran and Syria be involved in the diplomacy.
Posted by:ryuge

#16  "France's motivations have never changed since the Phoencians invented money. There are bribes to be had."

Ouch, #8 rj. That's gonna leave a mark. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2006-08-03 15:53  

#15  Chirac: "As far as I'm concerned, war always means failure".

Rush Limbaugh: "As far as France is concerned, you're right."
Posted by: mcsegeek1   2006-08-03 15:33  

#14  Meanwhile, France's rep to the UN now says he's not as hopeful of getting a resolution through the UNSC in the next week or two (see above RB link). Maybe, just maybe, France is now playing along w/ the good cop/bad cop routine and we're ALL giving Israel the time it needs to finish the job???? One can hope.
Posted by: BA   2006-08-03 12:36  

#13  They the suburban housing estates are unwalled ghettos, FOTSGreg. They were always intended to be so.
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-08-03 11:45  

#12   a false step could feed unrest in FranceÂ’s Muslim-dominated housing estates.

I guess "housing estates" must be French for ghetto's, right?

Posted by: FOTSGreg   2006-08-03 11:30  

#11  Nobody takes this clown seriously anymore. He's a joke in France, the U.S., Iran, Iceland, Burundi ......
Posted by: DoDo   2006-08-03 11:28  

#10  Right now, the more vetos floating about, the longer Israel will have before it has to bluntly tell the world that this time they aren't stopping until it's done.
Posted by: trailing wife   2006-08-03 11:00  

#9  I say we have a UNSC vote to strip France of their veto and give it to India.
Posted by: mojo   2006-08-03 10:37  

#8  How cynical these comments are regarding France/Chirac's motives. I don't believe this is about the world stage nor muslim gangs; France's motivations have never changed since the Phoencians invented money. There are bribes to be had.
Posted by: regular joe   2006-08-03 09:15  

#7  Chirac is president of france. Currently the number one song in france is Coup de Boule (known as the head-butt song). Do you think that Chirac helped inspire this song in that he doesn't know his head from his butt?
Posted by: Whaling Unomoger7693   2006-08-03 07:39  

#6  Translating "M Chirac is worried that a false step could feed unrest in FranceÂ’s Muslim-dominated housing estates." from french diplomatic speak into english.
"M Chirac is premptively surrendering to FranceÂ’s Muslims."
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2006-08-03 07:24  

#5  Chirac is an arrogant prima donna foppish fool.
Posted by: Whaling Unomoger7693   2006-08-03 07:16  

#4  "M. Chirac is worried that a false step could feed unrest in FranceÂ’s Muslim-dominated housing estates"

It's at times like these, I'm reminded of something said around the time of the beginning of the Iraq war;


US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday that France would face consequences for its opposition to the war in Iraq as senior aides to President George W. Bush met to consider ways to express Washington's anger. Asked in an interview whether Paris would be punished for its anti-war stance, Powell replied bluntly: "Yes." "We have to take a look at the relationship. We have to look at all aspects of our relationship with France in light of this," he told PBS television.


Details here.

If Chirac is worried about a false step, I'd be keeping an eye out for banana skins. After all his Ambassador to the Court of St. James did call Israel "that shitty little country", and they are rather heavily involved in all this...

I wouldn't be too surprised to find out that those sneaky Joooos wanted some payback ;)
Posted by: Tony (UK)   2006-08-03 05:03  

#3  Concerning the fact that "M. Chirac is worried that a false step could feed unrest in FranceÂ’s Muslim-dominated housing estates" (this has been reported in France too), any normal human being (so, not a supporter of the French "Arab policy") will be amazed to see the President of a democratic country modeling his international policy in accordance with the behaviour of muslims gangs, and the policy of a whole country taken hostage by rioters.
Posted by: leroidavid   2006-08-03 02:13  

#2  Once again, Jacques Chirac is supporting his Arab friends, and opposing the US. Chirac is (or should be) well known for kissing a lot of Arab leaders: in 1975, he welcomed Saddam Hussein in Paris with a cheerful "you are my personal friend" (and the next day, he sold him the nuclear plant Osirak); he has met very often with the arch-terrorist Arafat, and when this ugly-faced Arafat died in Paris in November 2004, he ordered his body to be treated with the same respect that the one of a President of the State deserves (trumpets by the French National Guard, Prime Minister Raffarin standing at attention before his coffin, and so on); he has warmly received in Paris Bachar el-Assad in June 2001; in fact, it would be faster to tell which Arab dictator Jacques Chirac hasn't courted and coaxed.

The most telling is that, in 2004, Chirac invited to the Francophonie Summit (that was staged in Beyrouth)... the leader of the Hezbollah, Nasraleh himself! He shook hands with Nasralah, and had this terrorist leader seated at the same table, right next to him...

So, no wonder why Chirac is asking for an immediate ceasefire: he wants to give Hezbollah time to heal its wounds and to rearm before any international force arrives in Lebanon.

Your actions are as ugly as was Arafat face, Mr. Chirac!
Posted by: leroidavid   2006-08-03 01:56  

#1  Paraphrasing a famous utterance:

"Can someone rid us of this meddlesome amphibian politico?"
Posted by: twobyfour   2006-08-03 01:32  

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