From ABC News:
President Bush won solid European support Wednesday for his handling of escalating nuclear crises with North Korea and Iran but was challenged over the Iraq war, the U.S. prison camp in Cuba and rising anti-American sentiment.
“That’s absurd,” Bush snapped at a news conference in response to an assertion that the United States was regarded as the biggest threat to global security. “We’ll defend ourselves but at the same time we’re actively working with our partners to spread peace and democracy.
Unbidden, Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel rose with an impassioned defense that seemed even to surprise the president.
“I think it’s grotesque to say that America is a threat to the peace in the world compared with North Korea, Iran, a lot of countries,” Schuessel said. Europe would not enjoy peace and prosperity if not for U.S. help after World War II, he said.
That is true.
Roucaute says Gitmo is a necessity on the WoT. Bush has also agreed to talk about the World Trade Organization Agreement.
But the position of Europe -and of France in particular- is specially striking when our politicians are not attacking Chirac with the same violence as they are using with Bush. The difference is important because today some French have been condemned because of a coup d’état in Comores Islands, although NOT imprisoned because the sentence maintains they had the backing of Mr Chirac. You can go over and read Fausta’s blog or All Things Beautiful.
This is a blow for France because as Captain’s Ed says:
Chirac used just that pose to protect Saddam Hussein from an American invasion in the early months of 2003, attempting to shield France from the revelations of the Oil-For-Food scam as well as protect its corporate interests in Iraq. The French made quite a show about their disavowal of violence in the service of regime change, skipping over the sixteen unenforced UN Security Council resolutions that Saddam defiantly ignored. Now we find out that the French have no problems with military intervention for regime change, and only differ in the level of honesty involved.
France and Chirac owe an explanation of this episode. They won’t give one, but they owe it nonetheless.
I do not think they are going to give one at all.
As Fausta says:
France2 news last evening was totally silent on the Comoros story; instead, they had a long feature on the opening of the new Jacques Chirac museum (“his legacy to the nation”), officially named the Musée du Quai Branly. No, the museum doesn’t have an Oil-For-Food wing, a Clearstream room, or a lunch money cafeteria, but it is a “focus of accusation” since apparently many of the new museum`s artifacts, which include a large commission of Australian Aboriginal art in addition to a large African art collection, were obtained inappropriately.
Well, that is normal in French press….
I have to say this reminds me of another facts: the Ivory Coast ones. I remember how I was surprised about France shooting unarmed civilians and no MSM in Spain published anything about it. Of course, French MSM did not say anything and I think that it was not a world-wide hit.
No one of the anti-war moonbats said the least to this day about them being warmongers, about the necessity of subject to anti-genocide tribunals or something. Or have congratulated Bush for being called to help Ivorians at that time. French General Poncet has been punished for not telling their superiors about the suffocation of an Ivory Coast Man. In Spain this thing has not been published at all by the MSM. Some time ago I saw a video that was simply astonishing about how the shootings were made: people were just normally protesting surrounded by tanks and then, as someone in the crowd makes a movement and is suspected to have a gun, the French military shoots (you can see it in the link to freewillblog above, in the commentary section). While Ivorians think France is the problem, it is considered worldwide as the good guy.
And now it happens again with Comores.
But Chirac is not the only nervous one. Yesterday’s episode in French parliament proofs it:
French PM Dominique de Villepin has apologised for an angry outburst directed at the opposition Socialist leader in parliament on Tuesday.
He “regretted” the outburst and said he would like to take back his words.
Mr de Villepin had repeatedly accused Francois Hollande of cowardice after he criticised the PM’s handling of several major issues.
Senior Socialists reacted furiously, with some calling for his resignation and others threatening a walkout.
You can see by yourself the video here (in French).
This outburst came as a result of the problems regarding EADS and Airbus. The president Noel Forgeard has sold shares and stock-options for 2.5 million of euros and his son has done the same. This happened when the company was losing value to 3/4. This is even worsened by the construction of the new A-380, that suffers from an important delay. No Pasarán has also a post about the scandal.
Nevertheless, the popularity level of both Chirac and De Villepin has come up 3 points and they have 29% and 26% of favourable opinions. According to CSA, both are profiting from the Soccer World Cup.
Spanish Press does not report these two news very much. El Mundo says Villepin publicy asks for excuses for his hard attacks on the opposition’s chief. And El Pais titles the information “Villepin asks for excuses to the opposition’s chief after calling him a coward“. As you can see, not a very important coverage. About the condemned people from Comoros Islands, nothing is said.
Related posts: The last French scandal.
Sent to 123 beta Open Trackback weekend.
Tags: Chirac, De Villepin, EADS, France
Hello,
I have seen the video of French troops firing at unarmed ivorians you’re talking about.
Everything considered, I can’t blame them and I don’t think anyone else in his right mind would have done something else.
The ivorian people has been manipulated by its government against the French troops and they have attacked French civilians. There has been several cases of rape against French women. The rapists weren’t armed either.
Unarmed or not, they were not coming with friendly thoughts to the French troops. The latter had to fire some bullets in the air. That didn’t stop them. They had to fire on the crowd. Only then did the ivorians spread, screaming incoherently. Why didn’t they do that with the warning shots?
As for the Comores, could you tell me what it’s all about? I haven’t heard about it yet.
E-tribesmen:
I'm not blaming French for shooting but because, if USA, UK, Spain, Italy or any other country would do the same they would be the first blaming them about being savages. That is the point.
About Comores Islands: they are Islamic, ruled by "The Ayatollah". It is a dictatorship and some people gave a Coup d'etat in 1995. (I have edited it because the sentence did not make sense) The direct chief of the ones who did it was a soldier of fortune. They have been judged and the proofs have shown that they were backed by France and Chirac. That is basicly what happened.
So it is just worse than the intervention Bush ordered in Iraq. And France opposed it. It is just a Regime Change without ANY KIND of UN resolution in favor, without any international support, etc.
And that is also hipocrisy.
By the way, the Islamic regime persecutes Christians and is by no means a good regime. So in case Chirac would have explained his motives I would never have been against him.
Alright, I didn’t know about the Coup in Comores. Fucking Shitraq once again!
I'm sure you didn't. It is not very well-known in Spain also 😉
The MSM, that only publish what they feel like… 😦
Open Trackback Weekend #6…
As far as I’m concerned it IS the weekend! Please feel free to link to this Open Trackback all weekend long……
Good post!
Thanks!
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