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Blair and Chirac set for showdown
Tony Blair is set to meet French President Jacques Chirac for the first time since the French veto threat over a new UN resolution setting a deadline for Saddam Hussein to disarm. The prime minister's spokesman said Mr Blair will attend the European Union's summit later this week and will make his views clear to Mr Chirac if needs be.
Will Tony punch him in the head or kick him in his escargot?
EU leaders will discuss Iraq at a dinner in Brussels on Thursday evening and the spokesman said there was no point pretending there was not a fundamental disagreement between France and Britain. Paris is still reeling from Mr Blair's repeated claims that the French are to blame for the failure to secure a diplomatic solution to the Iraq crisis. He described the French stance as misguided and profoundly dangerous, stressing that it had ultimately benefited the Iraqi dictator.

De Villepin: "Shocked! Shocked, I tell you!" 'Shocked and saddened' by British attitude
"Oh, why would he say such a thing? Claudette, my pills! Quickly!"
"The tragedy is that had such a resolution been issued, he might just have complied," said Mr Blair. He insisted: "There is resentment of US predominance. There is fear of US unilateralism...I know all of this. But the way to deal with it is not rivalry but partnership." But those comments appear to have upset the French.
Good!
One diplomatic source in France said: "We fully understand the internal pressure which is being put on the British government,
How about the pressure we'd like to put on your pointy french head? Would you understand that?
but these comments are not worthy of a country which is a friend and a European partner. This presentation of the facts does not match the reality and does not fool anyone." Mr Villepin added: "The French authorities were shocked and saddened by the remarks made by members of the British government."
Posted by: Domingo 2003-03-19
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=11488