|
France Hopes Stance Aids Captives in Iraq
| Some headlines just write themselves ... |
PARIS -- As France awaits word on two journalists being held hostage in Iraq, officials have made it clear that they expect to benefit from their stand against the U.S.-led invasion and occupation. "France has always pleaded for the sovereignty of this country and supported its people," Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said last week as the crisis unfolded.
| "Look at how well we supported your former president!" |
The safe return of the journalists, Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot, would not only end a crisis that has gripped the country but would also ratify the value of French opposition to the Bush administration's Iraq policy, political observers said. In lobbying for the captives' freedom, the observers said, France had gained support from governments in the Middle East, Muslim religious leaders and even the Hezbollah guerrilla group , which has used kidnappings in its fight against Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon.
| An endorsement from Hezbollah? Boy howdy, those French diplomats are expert, expert I tell you. |
"The French diplomatic effort has been impressive. If the hostages are released, it is a plus for French prostitution foreign policy," said Guillaume Parmentier, a political analyst and expert on U.S.-French relations. Dominique Moisi, a foreign affairs expert, said that "France's ability to mobilize friends is outside recognition" of the French policy. "The basis of the policy is that France fights terrorism as much as anyone, it's just that going into Iraq and wrecking all our business deals was not the best way," Moisi said.
Posted by: Steve White 2004-09-07 |
