French PM: U.S. Made Triple Mistake Starting Iraq War

Reuters ^ | Thu Apr 3, 2003 | Jon Boyle

[Pharmboy]

PARIS (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said on Thursday the United States had made a moral, political and strategic mistake by launching war in Iraq (news - web sites), risking further damage to already strained ties with Washington.

Raffarin told France 3 television that Paris wanted U.S. and British forces to prevail but offered blunt criticism of the U.S. policies that led to the conflict.

There was no immediate reaction from the White House.

"The Americans made a triple mistake: first of all a moral mistake, and I think we have to say this: there was an alternative to war. We could have disarmed Iraq differently."

That was clear by Washington's failure to secure a U.N. resolution authorizing military action should Iraq fail to destroy its alleged weapons of mass destruction, he said.

"Also, (they made) a political mistake, because we know very well the difficulties of this region of the world," he added. "We see how serious the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is, and at any moment it can set the world ablaze. It's a serious political error to start trouble in this region.

"And then, there is a strategic mistake: that today one country can lead the world," he said, arguing that Europe should be one of the major poles of influence in the world.

Raffarin's blunt assessment of U.S. policy appeared at odds with efforts earlier in the week to play down differences with the United States. The French authorities had expressed concern over the anti-U.S. tone of protests against the Iraq war.

On Monday Raffarin urged the nation to remember the United States was a long-standing ally and that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) was a dictator.

"Just because we're against this war doesn't mean we want dictatorship to defeat democracy," he said then. "We are in the democratic camp. The Americans are not enemies."

In Thursday's interview the French prime minister, who traditionally leaves major foreign policy issues to President Jacques Chirac, dismissed suggestions France wanted anything other than a victory of U.S.-British forces.

"I say clearly, there can be no hesitation for France. We cannot be on the side of dictators....We are obviously not in favor of a victory of a dictatorship."

After being savaged as "surrender monkeys" by parts of the U.S. media, and vague threats of a U.S. consumer boycott of French goods, Paris has launched a determined campaign to avoid portrayal as a Saddam sympathizer.

Last week the foreign ministry protested loudly over reports in some British and U.S. media that French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin had refused to publicly state Paris wished a victory of Anglo-American forces fighting in Iraq.

Chirac on Thursday also sought to ease strains caused by France's opposition to the war being fought by British and U.S. troops in Iraq.

He sent a letter of apology to Britain's Queen Elizabeth over the defacing last week of British World War One military graves in northern France with anti-British slogans linked to the fighting in Iraq.

"Know that at a time when your soldiers are engaged in combat, the thoughts of the French are naturally with them," he said. The gesture was welcomed by Downing Street.

[Pharmboy]

...and in a related story, a major earthquake was felt in France today as more than 53,000 American dead who gave their lives to free France in two world wars and are buried in that country turned over in their graves.

[canuck_conservative]

The only mistake the US and Britain made was in assuming that France was dealing with them in good faith.

It's a mistake that won't be repeated, I'll be willing to bet.

[Catspaw]

"The Americans made a triple mistake: first of all a moral mistake, and I think we have to say this: there was an alternative to war. We could have disarmed Iraq differently."

And that would be to sell the Iraqis spare parts for their Mirages, right?

[dighton]

Crowds flock to see French imitating pigs

[Pharmboy]

Yep...evidently they need those Muslim votes in order to stay in power, so ef the rest of the world.

[Torie]

"And then, there is a strategic mistake: that today one country can lead the world," he said, arguing that Europe should be one of the major poles of influence in the world.

I didn't know the UK was not in Europe. If Europe = France + Germany, in order to be a "major pole" they need to get their economies out of a stall, and develop a military that actually is something other than a welfarist job program. In short, no pain, no gain, and pain is simply out of style these days in Paris and Berlin, except to the extent to the extent of inflicting it on Bush/Blair through rhetoric. So far, however pain export plan has proven rather inert.

[Pharmboy]

Great link...thanks much!

[Happy2BMe]

Do you smell a French whore?

[Drango]

Iraq first, France next...

[Radix]

I am sure glad that the French are here to instruct the USA on the rules of morality, politics, and strategy.

They are such effing experts.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

America to France: Bite me.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

America to France: Bite me.

[Pharmboy]

I went to dinner Wednesday evening with a Brit client who works for a French company in Paris. He could be a Freeper...he told me that what REALLY pissed off the Euros was when Rummy called them "Old Europe." That hurt them. Ha.

[DannyTN]

France is the one that made the triple mistake...

1) Moral: They backed leaving a ruthless dictator with a known penchant for terrorism and WMD in power. Nothing justifies that. Regime change was needed not inspections.

2) Political: The Mideast is a powder keg because regimes like Saddam's have been allowed to foster terrorism and spread propaganda against the west and Israel formenting hatred. France's paralysis in the face of conflict is a serious character flaw which has had severe repercusions for France and the effectiveness of the organizations such as the UN and NATO in which France has played a major role

3) Strategic: One nation is leading the world. The US is leading a coalition that by last count I believe was at 49. That coalition included most of Europe but not France and Germany. France thought they could lead the world but all they did was delay and get in the way.

[Catspaw]

Oh, yeah. They want to have it both ways: pretend they're against the war while they're making money off their exports to the Iraqis--and have some hefty contracts with the Iraqis for the time the sancitons were lifted, which is why they undercut us (attempting to use a more polite term than what I *really* wanted to use). And now they want to do the dirty deed on us again. No way.

[Adrastus]

Ah, the French. Always conscious of there place in history.

[Boundless]

> We see how serious the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is,

Not.

> ... and at any moment it can set the world ablaze. It's
> a serious political error to start trouble in this region.

The present conflict has just given lie to the "tinderbox
hypothesis", for a couple of reasons:

a. We're taking over an Arab country, and the region is NOT ablaze.

b. We've just demonstrated that in any future wars, the bombing
starts at the top and works it's way down. None of the other
regional thugs have anything like Saddam's network of bunkers.
Even if Saddam survived the Day0 opportunity, the other rulers
know that they would not.

[ambrose]

[Pharmboy]

LOL!! Too much perfume...

Remember the old SNl skit with the Old French Whore...

Voice: What happened to you tonight?

Old French Whore: A sailor broke my arm...

[Pharmboy]

They all shared one room also (not that there's anything wrong with that...)