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| Europe | ||
| France wary of Italy leading European Union | ||
| 2003-06-23 | ||
| You guys seriously need a "Frogistan" category... French diplomats, indeed head of state Jacques Chirac, are still hoping they can quietly defuse the issue, but France's relations with Italy have recently taken another turn for the worse, a situation that Paris hopes to settle before Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi takes over the (revolving) presidency of the European Union on July 1. Tee hee. Seems that zee ignorant Ameri-cains aren't the only ones to be P.O.'d by At stake are not only Franco-Italian relations, but also - and more importantly, say French authorities - the independence of the EU's foreign policy, read, "French control of foreign policy" especially at a time when the EU prepares to give itself its own full-fledged foreign minister, in an international context where the United States has lost no time in asserting itself notably with regard to the Middle East and Israel. "The cowboys are coming, the cowboys are coming!" Franco-Italian relations have never been easy under the presidency of Mr Berlusconi, indeed two years ago when then Socialist culture minister Catherine Tasca said she would refuse to shake the hand of the Italian prime minister, considered by French intellectuals "French intellectuals". That's like saying-----. Nope, not going to do it. Waaaaaaaay too easy. as an enemy of the freedom of expression - and already much too beholden to the United States. AH. The TRUE reason for their world-famous disdain... Mr Berlusconi said he felt it necessary to hire a French public relations agency to attempt to "restore" his good image among the French. Why in the hell should he care what the snotty Frogs think? Bitch slap Chiraq, kick de Villepin in the ovaries, and tell them to shut the hell up. Problem solved. The most recent flare-up concerns Mr Berlusconi's visit to Israel earlier this spring, at which time he refused to heed the EU's policy that its representatives insist on meeting with Palestinian Authority president Yasser Arafat, even if that means - as in the recent case of Romano Prodi and French foreign minister Dominique de Villepin - that the EU envoys don't get to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "Oui, oui. You must meet zee Arafat. France must show solee-dare-eetee with it's Arab brothers. The citizens of Mr Berlusconi said that he would have nothing to do with President Arafat - and this in spite of the discreet telephone prodding undertaken in days preceding the visit by President Chirac "We have ways of making you talk...to Arafat." and when he did visit Israel, it was to shake hands with Sharon, and this during a well-publicized ceremony rebroadcast around the world by the Israeli authorities bent on portraying that Berlusconi was their man, that for once a European official had seemingly come over to their way of thinking. An official of the EU with moral standards? Say it ain't so! When EU and French authorities criticized the gesture, saying it went against the EU policy that their representatives in the region meet with Mr Arafat as well as with Israeli authorities, Mr Berlusconi shot back that he'd not gone to Tel Aviv on behalf of the EU, but "at the request of George W. Bush," who apparently was sending him on a special mission. No wonder the Frogs are crapping their pretty pink panties.
Game. Set. Match. Beee-otch! With regard to Mr Berlusconi, France is particularly concerned that what may appear to have begun as a tempest in a teapot could very well flare up not only into an open quarrel between two of the founding members of the European Union, but also irremediably influence the future independence of the EU's foreign policy.
Balanced solution? If by balanced you mean Israel turning over territory while the Jordyptians keep splodeydoping, I guess "balanced" would apply. | ||
| Posted by:Celissa |
| #2 Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is reputedly a bit of a skunk with corruption charges pending against him (or is that Chirac? Nope, Both of 'em!), but gotta admit his refusal of a scheduled meet with Mahmoud Abbas when told Arafat must be included was good, and his follow-up "The French have lost a great opportunity to shut up" line was great. |
| Posted by: John Anderson 6/24/03 4:13:56 AM |
| #1 Mr Berlusconi,you da man! I like this guy,wish I could vote for him. |
| Posted by: raptor 6/23/2003 6:33:28 PM |