Posted on 07/26/2006 2:04:16 PM PDT by mojito
French President Jacques Chirac said Wednesday that NATO should not lead a proposed international force in Lebanon, saying the alliance is seen in the region as "the armed wing of the West."
"As far as France is concerned, it is not NATO's mission to put together such a force," Chirac told the daily newspaper Le Monde. "Whether we like it or not, NATO is perceived as the armed wing of the West in these regions, and as a result, in terms of image, NATO is not intended for this."
Israel has suggested it would prefer a NATO-led coalition in Lebanon, not the traditional UN peacekeeping force that has tried but failed to bring peace to Lebanon over the last three decades.
France has said a multinational force should be placed under United Nations authority.
Chirac's comments were published as officials from the United States, Europe and several Arab nations met in Rome to try to agree on a plan for ending more than two weeks of fighting between Israel and Hizbullah guerillas.
Meanwhile, Vice Premier Shimon Peres said Wednesday that without Israel, there would be no bilateral solution to the Middle East crisis. Peres made his remarks in response to the fact that Israel was not represented at the Rome conference.
Thank You France for the warning that we didn't need.
the French way....
what was the over/under on France's surrender?
Isn't it NATO forces that are in Afghanistan???
Why can a "WEST" organization go into Afghanistan, but not Lebanon?
Surrendering before hostilities breakout is now a very progressive thing to do. France pioneered waging peace.
Because it's closer to France? You got me.
Chirac's right this time.
If the French do show up, they should wear brightly colored bulls-eyes on their uniforms, to make 'em easier to pick off.
Didn't the Frogs pull out of NATO sometime last century?
NATO has no more business in Lebanon then it had in Bosnia. The NATO charter spells out its role as a mutual defense pact designed to provide for the common defense of the signator members of the pact. Their clear purpose was the defense of Europe against Soviet aggression.
Since the eclipse of the former USSR, NATO lacks a clear mission. It is clear however that since neither Lebanon nor Bosnia were party to the "mutual aid" treaty, NATO should not be asked to provide troops for any purpose.
In my humble opinion NATO is no more relevant then the "Warsaw pact" or SEATO for that matter. Its' mission faded away when detente replaced MAD. It should be disbanded as the cold war relic that it is. Former NATO funding should be retained in the defense budget to support fast reaction special forces units to continue the WOT.
Regards,
GtG
C'est parceque Lebanon est du langue Francais et une colonie de France. Notez bien qu' il ya beaucoup de Lebanois Francais en France et Quebec.
Les gens de Lebanon sont special; Ils sont Francaise et plus superiour de toute le monde.
Just more colonial crap from a country that has not awakened to the fact that French Imperialism is dead except in the imagination of a few aristocratic "Gens de les laissez manger gateau."
They need a national BINKY!
Oh, I love that you posted in French...what is awful is that I took 3 years of French and I still couldn't translate all of it...LOL
Spelling really sucks though. Becuase I can communicate in 2 fricken languages, I can't spell in either! LOL.
So then Chirac doesn't have much say in the matter.
A token UN force surrounded by NATO power, thats all the UN can offer anyway.
Notice how the UN cut and run when the Iraq UN HQ was blasted to smitherines and their Envoy killed a couple of years ago? And we are STILL there while the UN and their wimpy supporters in this country cry sour grapes and bile over each success in Iraq? What good in this situation could the UN possibly be. Their inaction created the present problem. I hope Bolton waves that fact in the UN faces, and then tattoos it on each UN A$$ that he can get his hands on!
All Condi has to do is give UNFOR a few latrines in South Lebanon to look after to keep them quiet. And put Nato in charge of policing the no fire zone with a deadly air cap from a constructed strip in the zone, with orders to seek and destroy all Hezbollah Activity. Get the UN to PAY for it ALL!!!!
A multinational force under UN authority is there now, and has been there all along observing the Hezbollah buildup. They were there to observe Hezbollah attacks over the years, and they are there now to observe Israel's belated response.
A multinational force under UN authority is the precise instrument you need if your purpose is to observe, monitor, report. It is not particularly useful if you intend to confront.
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