old_n_grumpy
18th February 2003, 11:04 PM
It's a long article but I couldn't resist the temptation to post the whole thing. Mr Chirac has dug himself a hole and is still digging. It appears that even Kofi Annan is coming to embrace Bush's stand on Iraq. (All of these guys would have to be morons for backing a moron like Bush.)
From:http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/18-2-19103-0-19-59.html
Feb 18th
MICHAEL SETTLE
AMID the mocha coffee and the petits four, Jacques Chirac lost the argument. Shortly afterwards at his press conference, he lost his temper too.
Sources keeping a delicate diplomatic distance in the grand European Council dining room reported that Monsieur le President was steadily being forced into a corner.
Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, fully aware that the international body's future is on the line, began by appealing to the 15 EU leaders to act together. The international community, he said, demanded that their leaders unite around a common line.
He also told it to the heads of government straight: that if Saddam Hussein continued with his defiance, then the security council would have no option but to face up to its responsibilities - confront the Baghdad regime with military force.
At Mr Annan's hawkish stance, Mr Chirac stood up and, with Gallic passion, began a defence of the French position.
Flinging his arms up and down, he declared that war was a terrible thing and that thousands of innocent people would lose their lives in a second Gulf war. "It is a question of life and death," he said.
It was suggested that, at this point, the most dramatic moment of the evening occurred. Silvio Berlusconi, the diminutive Italian premier, eyeballed Mr Chirac and insisted: "I'm just as concerned about life and death as you are."
He asked the French president to consider what happened to innocent people in Bali and in New York's twin towers.
Then, the normally mild-mannered Bertie Ahern, the taoiseach, interjected and pointed out that the only person getting away with defying the will of the international community was Saddam.
He added that the weapons inspectors could not go on indefinitely.
By this time, Mr Chirac was positively steaming at the pro-American forces reigned against him. But there was more.
Jan Peter Balkenende, the new Dutch prime minister, underscored the hawkish line, saying the issue was Iraq's full compliance and that it was now just a matter of weeks, not months, before the matter had to be resolved. "We have to reinforce the pressure on Iraq," he said.
Spain's Jose Maria Aznar also called for international cohesion, pointing out that the UN had only got so far with the Iraqi dictator by threatening force.
Then, Tony Blair said his piece, deriding the 12 years of deceit by Saddam and stressing he had to come into compliance "100%".
Looking at his colleagues one by one, he told them bluntly: "There is no intelligence agency of any government around this table that does not know that the government of Iraq has weapons of mass destruction."
In a passionate conclusion, the prime minister said: "If Saddam stays, the Iraqis will pay with their lives."
Later, at his press briefing, a bouyant PM was asked about ill-feeling over the hors d'oeuvres and roties aux truffes. He smiled quizzically. "It doesn't help if we simply fall out with each other. I'm not commenting on the French position. They have got their position, we have got our position."
Indeed, it seemed on one level Paris and London had worked out a viable compromise. The key phrase being that the inspectors "must be given the time and resources the UN security council believes they need. However, inspections cannot continue indefinitely in the absence of full Iraqi co-operation."
Yet, judging by the temper of the French press conference, one could be forgiven that, having been edged out over the Nato deal on defensive aid for Turkey, Paris was once again feeling a mite left out in the Belgian cold.
Mr Chirac, who last year put off a UK-France summit after Mr Blair was supposedly "very rude" to the septagenarian politician, let fly at the eastern European EU wannabees, who came out in print so fervently in favour of the UK-US position and against the "old Europe" axis of France and Germany.
In a few well chosen mal mots, the French premier let rip, saying: "They missed a great opportunity to shut up."
He went on in his best professorial tone: "These countries have not been very well-behaved". They had acted "recklessly" by not appreciating the "danger of aligning themselves too rapidly with the American position".
Yesterday, as Mr Blair faced the most difficult two weeks of his political life, it had been expected he would be the one suffering from pre - and post - summit indigestion and indignation. Last night, however, it looked as though it was Mr Chirac who, following the osso buco and carpaccio d'ananas, was the one looking a bad mix of green and red.
From:http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/18-2-19103-0-19-59.html
Feb 18th
MICHAEL SETTLE
AMID the mocha coffee and the petits four, Jacques Chirac lost the argument. Shortly afterwards at his press conference, he lost his temper too.
Sources keeping a delicate diplomatic distance in the grand European Council dining room reported that Monsieur le President was steadily being forced into a corner.
Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, fully aware that the international body's future is on the line, began by appealing to the 15 EU leaders to act together. The international community, he said, demanded that their leaders unite around a common line.
He also told it to the heads of government straight: that if Saddam Hussein continued with his defiance, then the security council would have no option but to face up to its responsibilities - confront the Baghdad regime with military force.
At Mr Annan's hawkish stance, Mr Chirac stood up and, with Gallic passion, began a defence of the French position.
Flinging his arms up and down, he declared that war was a terrible thing and that thousands of innocent people would lose their lives in a second Gulf war. "It is a question of life and death," he said.
It was suggested that, at this point, the most dramatic moment of the evening occurred. Silvio Berlusconi, the diminutive Italian premier, eyeballed Mr Chirac and insisted: "I'm just as concerned about life and death as you are."
He asked the French president to consider what happened to innocent people in Bali and in New York's twin towers.
Then, the normally mild-mannered Bertie Ahern, the taoiseach, interjected and pointed out that the only person getting away with defying the will of the international community was Saddam.
He added that the weapons inspectors could not go on indefinitely.
By this time, Mr Chirac was positively steaming at the pro-American forces reigned against him. But there was more.
Jan Peter Balkenende, the new Dutch prime minister, underscored the hawkish line, saying the issue was Iraq's full compliance and that it was now just a matter of weeks, not months, before the matter had to be resolved. "We have to reinforce the pressure on Iraq," he said.
Spain's Jose Maria Aznar also called for international cohesion, pointing out that the UN had only got so far with the Iraqi dictator by threatening force.
Then, Tony Blair said his piece, deriding the 12 years of deceit by Saddam and stressing he had to come into compliance "100%".
Looking at his colleagues one by one, he told them bluntly: "There is no intelligence agency of any government around this table that does not know that the government of Iraq has weapons of mass destruction."
In a passionate conclusion, the prime minister said: "If Saddam stays, the Iraqis will pay with their lives."
Later, at his press briefing, a bouyant PM was asked about ill-feeling over the hors d'oeuvres and roties aux truffes. He smiled quizzically. "It doesn't help if we simply fall out with each other. I'm not commenting on the French position. They have got their position, we have got our position."
Indeed, it seemed on one level Paris and London had worked out a viable compromise. The key phrase being that the inspectors "must be given the time and resources the UN security council believes they need. However, inspections cannot continue indefinitely in the absence of full Iraqi co-operation."
Yet, judging by the temper of the French press conference, one could be forgiven that, having been edged out over the Nato deal on defensive aid for Turkey, Paris was once again feeling a mite left out in the Belgian cold.
Mr Chirac, who last year put off a UK-France summit after Mr Blair was supposedly "very rude" to the septagenarian politician, let fly at the eastern European EU wannabees, who came out in print so fervently in favour of the UK-US position and against the "old Europe" axis of France and Germany.
In a few well chosen mal mots, the French premier let rip, saying: "They missed a great opportunity to shut up."
He went on in his best professorial tone: "These countries have not been very well-behaved". They had acted "recklessly" by not appreciating the "danger of aligning themselves too rapidly with the American position".
Yesterday, as Mr Blair faced the most difficult two weeks of his political life, it had been expected he would be the one suffering from pre - and post - summit indigestion and indignation. Last night, however, it looked as though it was Mr Chirac who, following the osso buco and carpaccio d'ananas, was the one looking a bad mix of green and red.