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| Down Under |
| France ’utterly opportunistic’ on Iraq, says Howard |
| 2003-09-24 |
| PRIME Minister John Howard today lashed out at France following French President Jacques Chirac’s stinging criticism of the United States over the war against Iraq. "The French have been utterly opportunistic from the very beginning on this issue," Mr Howard told reporters in Sydney today, following a speech by Mr Chirac to the United Nations. Mr Chirac told the UN the US-led war had "shaken the multilateral system" and that there was no justification for a superpower to act alone, without UN backing. But Mr Howard defended the US, saying: "If America and her allies had not acted, then Iraq would still be run by Saddam Hussein. Those that advocated another course have to accept that if their advice had been followed Saddam Hussein would still be in power in Iraq, with all of the torture and the human rights abuses that is involved in that. It may suit countries like France now to say you shouldn’t do anything without a new Security Council resolution, but countries like France haven’t always adopted that attitude in the past." Mr Howard said the war against Iraq by the "coalition of the willing" was legal and consistent with the UN charter. "People seem to have forgotten that there were 17 resolutions of the United Nations Security Council which dealt with Saddam Hussein’s defiance of the need to account for his weapons of mass destruction," he said. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan also criticised the US, describing the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive war as a threat to global security. Mr Howard said Australia had always supported a greater involvement by the UN, but it was countries such as France which stopped the system working properly. "Let’s call a spade a spade: because of the authority they exercised as a permanent member of the Security Council, countries like France made it impossible for the Security Council and the United Nations to do their job," he said. "They were perfectly happy to see American and British troops and a smaller number of Australian forces exert pressure on Saddam Hussein before the war started, but then they weren’t prepared to join the collective action. Now they are criticising those who were willing to do what the world I’m sure is relieved was done, and that is to rid the world of Saddam Hussein." |
| Posted by:g wiz |
| #12 "Utterly opportunistic" see ref Halliburton et. al./USgov.vp/office |
| Posted by: Not Mike Moore 2003-9-25 12:01:53 AM |
| #11 I see no evidence that he would gracely leave the stage when his Karioki song is over and reliquish the mike to another. Sheetrock will belt out another round of "Ain't Nuthen But A Hound Dog" until he is bodily dragged from the spotlight. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-9-24 7:35:44 PM |
| #10 Paul - not to worry. The cover is totally ineffectual. The smell of perfidity leaks out all around the edges, no matter what the Phewrench try to do. You can catch the stench at 40 miles. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-9-24 4:49:56 PM |
| #9 Gotta love that Howard! Just like he said, "We have to call a frog a frog" (or some such) I paraphrase. About time someone had the balls to stand up and pull the cover off of France's self-righteous facade. |
| Posted by: Paul 2003-9-24 1:41:44 PM |
| #8 Other anonymous : the general feeling is that Chirac may very well run again in 2007 (that's what is implied to wannabes from the right anyway); no constitutional limit, even with the constitution tampered enough lastly to completely alter the 5th republic founders 's goals (presidential immunity, vague & unworkable impeachment, ecological chart, decentralization,...), making it a shamble. Chirac is a terrible head of state, but an excellent candidate, that's what get his kicks on, so it is quite possible. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-9-24 1:06:36 PM |
| #7 Chirac is also concerned about his indictment for crimes prior to his presidency. He becomes vulnerable to prosecution afterward. Watch him try to pick his successor then beg for the French equivalent to a pardon |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-9-24 1:00:10 PM |
| #6 It's that damned Eiffle tower. Once a beacon of hope but now, sadly, terribly out of style. It must come down, violently, Hindenbergesquely. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2003-9-24 11:26:42 AM |
| #5 Now that is a good idea. Take the permanent security council seat (and veto power) from France and give it to Australia. How many European nations have permanent security council seats? Too damn many! Its entirely too euro-centric. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2003-9-24 10:44:52 AM |
| #4 Sounds like Howard might be lobbying for a seat on the Security Council (not a bad thing). |
| Posted by: J.H. 2003-9-24 10:27:32 AM |
| #3 The one thing on Chirac’s mind is carving out a legacy for himself and.. Crikes, not that legacy crap again. We here in the U.S. already have to endure stupidity as a result of concern over someone's "legacy", and now it has to go international? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-9-24 10:11:09 AM |
| #2 not clear it would be any worse under a Socialist. At times past the Socialists have been less obstructionist than the Gaullists - it was Mitterand who took France back into Nato. (though IIUC the most "pro-US" elements in France tend to be the centrist pro-business types, rather than either socialists or Gaullists) I must however acknowledge that Chirac seems to have done a better job wrt to internal antisemitic incidents then the socialists did. You can at least count on the right to maintain order. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-9-24 10:01:32 AM |
| #1 Peaktalk has some interesting stuff on Chiraq: "Mr. Chirac defended his outburst last February when he berated Central and Eastern European countries poised to join the European Union for missing an opportunity to "keep quiet" when they signed letters supporting American policy in Iraq before the war. "I don't regret it; I should regret it, but I don't," he said, adding, "You can take your own position if you want to, that's not the problem but at least warn us first so we don't look ridiculous." Such an approach, he said, is "not the way that Europe is made." And the way Europe is being made is the way France wants it, and beware of taking an independent stance; it could make Chirac look ridiculous. This is episode is textbook lesson in what a unified Europe will unleash onto the free world. and A reader asks to what extent Chirac is vulnerable and if he is not facing any election that would force him to tread a bit more carefully. Chirac served his first term from 1995 to 2002 after which an amendment was enacted that reduced presidential terms in France to five years. I am not sure if there’s a constitutional two-term limit in France, but if there is then Chirac has got another four years to go after which he will probably retire. The one thing on Chirac’s mind is carving out a legacy for himself and he has two unique opportunities in front of him that would ensure that, one being defining France’s role in Europe and the other one positioning France vis-à-vis the United States, formalizing France's role in the world at large. Chirac in other words has entered an important stage of his presidency and it is unlikely that he will be very flexible in dealing with the outside world if that would jeopardize his legacy. It should be noted that Chirac represents the right in France, just imagine what the world would have to put up with if it were a French socialist occupying the Elysee. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-9-24 9:53:50 AM |