French FM cautions Romania against intimate ties with US

Xinhua ^ | 2005-02-26

[Lukasz]

BUCHAREST, Feb. 25 (Xinhuanet) -- French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier on Friday cautioned Romania against following the United States too closely, urging it to develop a "European reflex" sinceit wants to join the European Union (EU).

"When one is in the European Union, the first reflex should be European. It is in the interest of Romania to have this reflex," Barnier told a joint news conference with his Romanian counterpartMihai Razvan Ungureanu.

He reiterated his country's support for Romania's EU membership.

It is good for Romania to maintain good relations with the United States, he said, noting that France is even an older ally of Washington. However, he added: "Alliance does not mean allegiance."

Barnier said his country has "some difficulty" to understand a "Bucharest-Washington-London axis" suggested by Romanian PresidentTraian Basescu in his inaugural speech in December.

"I understand that it is legitimate for Romania to demonstrate its friendship with the United States and the United Kingdom," he conceded.

Barnier, who was in Romania for a one-day visit, refused to comment on US plan to set up a military base in the country. Enditem

[Lukasz]

Barnier did recently little trip around the Eastern Europe. I followed his journey and I think that he make there very bad impression. His learning tone is really funny, he is acting exactly like Chirac when Eastern European countries decided to join coalition of willing. But there was no profit for France because of that, some people never learn.

There is nothing about that in this article but Romania also increased recently number of their troops in Iraq.

[Lukasz]

Eastern European ping list

---

FRmail me to be added or removed from this Eastern European ping list ping list.

[Lazamataz]

French FM cautions Romania against intimate ties with US

France is a non-shooting enemy of the United States.

[politicalwit]

"European reflex" = European REFLUX"

[wk4bush2004]

All those socialists want to do is steal allies and potential allies away from us. They're trying to form a united front.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

France is ridiculous...

[RichInOC]

And we would caution Romania against intimate ties with France...unless they're planning to wear full-body condoms.

[sassbox]

this is utterly childish. France is acting like the little kid who says "you can't come to my birthday party because you're friends with so-and-so" I hope Romania has enough sense not to listen to this sad little man Barnier.

[Torie]

The smaller the dog, the more they yap.

[Righty_McRight]

I wish France would stop plotting against the US. The EU is pressuring Poland not to buy Boeing Planes also.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1348614/posts#comment?q=1

[aculeus]

Romania also increased recently number of their troops in Iraq.

Bravo! The moral and ethical center of Europe has moved eastward.

[Natural Law]

Like all failing socialist endeavors, France is looking for a broader base to support their largess.

[JeffersonRepublic.com]

Eastern Europe would be better off remaining independent or creating a small coalition of former Soviet Union states.

By joining the EU, they will be subjects in a similar situation as before. They will have to obey the dictation of the EU, who will tell them; how much energy they can use, who their friends will be and where there exports will go (EU). It doesn’t seem like it’s worth the trouble.

I’m somewhat surprised that the French are still telling countries not to alley with the US. I thought during the build up to war that they were just trying to protect their interest in Iraq, but it appears to be a deep hatred of Americans.

Holtz
JeffersonRepublic.com

[bd476]

Thank you for the Ping, Ernest and thank you for posting this Lukasz.

Monsieur Barnier is speaking as coherently and with as much force and clarity as Vladmir Putin, in my opinion. It's not Barnier's words but the intent which holds so much meaning.

Bucharest looks like a lovely tourist destination.

[sanchez810]

Their Getting a Base , a big one.

[Quinotto]

Unfortunately, Romania is forced to pay attention to what the frogs are saying for pure economical reasons. Remember, when Romania voted with US in the UN Security Council and were ardent vocal supporters of a military intervention in Iraq, Chirac said that Romania missed a good opportunity to "shut and keep quiet", openly threatening that any continuation of this behavior would risk EU enlargement. In particular he stated, "it would take only one country to say No to enlargement, and enlargement would not go ahead." In addition to the general warning, Mr Chirac singled out Romania for special attention. Noting that they were not included in the current round of enlargement, but that they hope to join the Union in 2007, the slimy French scumbag (aka Chirac) accused them of displaying 'dangerous' and 'childish behavior'. Ominously, he stated, "if they had tried to decrease their chances for getting in Europe, they couldn't have done a better job." However, that didn't stop them to give 100% support to the US and to be the first nation to sign the treaty with US for offering US Armed Forces safe haven from arrests or prosecution, regardless if a crime was committed or not. The Romanians proved to be more even more outspoken, although careful not to exacerbate the situation by stressing that their position remained unchanged. Then Romanian president Ion Iliescu took the strongest stand, rather forthrightly referring to the remarks as irrational, unjustified, unwise and undemocratic. Other officials in the government took a more sanguine view, but were nonetheless clear about their views on the remarks. For example, a senior member of the foreign ministry stated the view that the comments were simply a result of a moment of irritation and stressed that, in the view of Romania, the process of enlargement was irreversible. Finally, there appeared to be a certain amount of understanding about the factors that drove the French reaction, more particularly the deep division that have arisen between the more powerful members of the European Union. One of the more memorable comments about the whole affair came from Adrian Nastase, then the prime minister of Romania, who said, "every time I have an argument with my wife I shout at my sons!"

[Torie]

[sanchez810]

American knows how to treat its allies. Already American Corporations and inverstos have begun investing heavely in Romania, plus it will probably host a U.S. military base.

[Southack]

France continues to conspire, actively, against the U.S.

[tiamat]

Thanks and BUMP!

[tiamat]

The French remind me of the snotty rich kid every play-ground has:

You know.

The one that says: " If you want to be MY friend, you can't play with THEM".

Same sort of bully mentality.

[MEG33]

"I understand that it is legitimate for Romania to demonstrate its friendship with the United States and the United Kingdom," he conceded.

What a guy!

[Cicero]

If France continues to go around blackmailing countries to act against the United States, then they are openly our enemies. I suspect they did this with Turkey before the Iraq war as well as with Eastern Europe, and that's why the Turks refused to let us go through their territory. I suspect they are doing it with the Arab countries and with China. It's nearing the time that we need to do something about it. This cannot be allowed to continue.

For instance, we might need to apply counter-pressure, telling countries around the world that if they want any help, friendship, or trade with us, they must break off relations with France.

[bd476]

Ping.

[Unam Sanctam]

Who the heck is France to tell the Eastern Europeans that they have to be anti-American in order to be good Europeans. This is the same disgusting tone that Chirac took when he told the Eastern Europeans that they were "not well-brought up" and "missed a good opportunity to shut up" about the Iraq war. I loathe the French more and more with each passing day!

[bourbon]

However, he added: "Alliance does not mean allegiance."

He said slyly, hoping the Romanian official would not notice that he was simultaneously demanding Romania's allegiance to "Europe" (meaning the French and German-dominated EU).

Allegiance to France and/or Germany presently means the acceptance of nihilism as the touchstone of foreign and domestic policy. It also means accepting the complete cultural and political capitulation to tyrants of all orders.

I hope and pray that Romanians, who were quick to give Caeusescu his due, will not fall prey to such foolish enticements.

[BallyBill]

First reaction to this is grrrr!! Then I realize how this makes the US look compared to the French. Then I smile!!

[Coop]

Yeah. It broke my heart yesterday to hear a report about 10% unemployment in France. :-p

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #19

The "little hegemon" of Europe is still busy.:) This is what they really mean by "making up" with U.S.

[Big Okie]

"When one is in the European Union, the first reflex should be European. It is in the interest of Romania to have this reflex," Barnier told a joint news conference.

And what is the European reflex? When confronted with tough choices ignore them all together or pee in your pants and run away and hope big mean Daddy makes everything better again.

[danmar]

As a Romanian by birth, I can tell you that was a very "BIG" mistake on the French side, trying to strong arm the Romanians into something they do not like.

Big, Big mistake by the French....

[warsaw44]

Our future in Europe is with the East. With the exception of England I've grown so damned tired of the Western Europeans.

[Grzegorz 246]

This funny man don't understand that in a few years, when Romania, Bulgaria and other new members will join eu, then we together will have enough influence to tell them what kind of "reflex" they should have.

Romania and France have close ties, they have for example join school of Gendarmes and they could "steal" Romania If they didn't try to do it in so stupid way.

France may ask, beg or try to bribe them or us, but not warn, threaten or give some stupid advices, because result may be unpleasant for them.

[JasonC]

I wish the US would start plotting against France. In deadly earnest.

[alwaysconservative]

Thanks for the ping, Southack! Too bad France is so reflexively anti-American, but I don't think we're special; they hate everybody (hmmmm, that sounds like the American left).

[PhilDragoo]

Oh that's rich! The French are lecturing on the subject of allegiance.

President Bush will host Romanian President Traian Basescu at the White House on March 9, 2005. The two Presidents share a strong commitment to freedom, and Romania is making significant contributions to democracy and stability in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans, and the Black Sea region. President Bush looks forward to discussing how the United States and Romania will continue to work closely together on the common challenges we face. The President also looks forward to hearing President Basescu's thoughts on regional issues and his reform agenda.

The president will put his shoes out in the corridor tonight so that Barnier may shine them.

[John Lenin]

[franksolich]

Well, of course Romania has to "think European," being part of that continent.

But my question, as someone in the middle of America, insulated and isolated from the oceans, the other continents and countries (a luxury not allowed most people), what exactly is "thinking European"?

Is "thinking European" something as narrowly defined by Paris (or Brussels or Berlin)? I am not aware that the French are particularly considerate of the feelings and opinions of the non-French within Europe.

This might sound strange, but with a life and memory that goes back to the final years of Charles de Gaulle, as an American, whenever I have thought of "Europe," for some reason the perception never included the French.

The Dutch, the Belgians, the Spaniards, the Portuguese, the Italians, the Poles, the Hungarians, the Turks, the Greeks, the Finns, the Norwegians, &c., &c., &c. (for obvious reasons never the British, who are distinct; perhaps the most remarkable people in the world, and in their own category), yeah, sure, these are Europeans.

But when thinking of "Europe," for some reason the French never slipped into the perception--and I say that as a great admirer of Charles de Gaulle (for reasons that made him universal, not for reasons of his Frenchness).

One can generally, in a very vague way, define a Dutchman or a Portuguese or a Romanian or a Slovenian, and determine those characteristics they share with each other--but for the French, one is left with the basic question: is it a mineral, an animal, a liquid, a gas, a plant, or what?

[hinckley buzzard]

I know a group of Roumanian-Americans here in Cleveland, with active ties to the old country. They are staunch pro-Bush and pro-American. They shrug off the French, and the EU, as irrelevant.

One old fellow escaped from a Nazi prison camp and a couple years later, from a Soviet prison camp. He is 83, plays a mean game of chess, and is no one to trifle with!

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[Dog]

Can we invade France......oh wait a minute we did already.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Not enough Americans know or appreciate what the Romanians are doing for the Coalition.

I live with Romanian motorized rifleman. The rest of us here can sleep at night because they are in the towers and outside the wire spotlighting potential launch sites. They eat like horses and will scrounge everything that isn't nailed down, to include 20,000 gallon bladders, but good combat soldiers are usually a bit piratical.

I'm glad they are here and will be sorry to see them go.

[Danae]

Well, if the French say do it, better do the opposite!

[uglybiker]

...urging it to develop a "European reflex" sinceit wants to join the European Union

When one is in the European Union, the first reflex should be European. It is in the interest of Romania to have this reflex," Barnier told a joint news conference...

That boy's been listening to too much Duran Duran.

[Lukasz]

Now Romanian FM should go to Paris and talk about what means “European reflex” and what French politicians should understand.

[bd476]

Better the French PM flies to Romanian turf. The Romanian PM will have the "home court" advantage and can then dole out some old fashioned Romanian hospitality.

The food is very good, just South of the Ukraine and near the Transylvania Alps. :)

[Lukasz]

I really don’t think that France will block Romania’s accession to the EU. Theoretically of course they have such possibility but practically they also are under big pressure cause this decision was made, negotiations are over and there is no reason for veto. They cannot do it because Romania’s relations with US are too strong, this would be silly.

[Lukasz]

This funny man don't understand that in a few years, when Romania, Bulgaria and other new members will join eu, then we together will have enough influence to tell them what kind of "reflex" they should have.

That id exactly what I’m thinking about but don’t forget about Croatia which is economically above those two.

[Lancey Howard]

Does this European "reflex" involve dropping your pants first?

[Lukasz]

But my question, as someone in the middle of America, insulated and isolated from the oceans, the other continents and countries (a luxury not allowed most people), what exactly is "thinking European"?

It means just nothing, it is artificial term invited for French and German particular interest. As for Germans I see that they stopped a bit with this silly argument but French politicians still have some problems.