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France helped Iraqis escape
The Washington Times ^
| 5/6/2003
| Jagrmeister
Posted on 05/05/2003 10:59:11 PM PDT by jagrmeister
The French government secretly supplied fleeing Iraqi officials with passports in Syria that allowed them to escape to Europe, The Washington Times has learned.
An unknown number of Iraqis who worked for Saddam Hussein's government were given passports by French officials in Syria, U.S. intelligence officials said.
The passports are regarded as documents of the European Union, because of France's membership in the union, and have helped the Iraqis avoid capture, said officials familiar with intelligence reports.
The French support, which was revealed through sensitive intelligence-gathering means, angered Pentagon, State Department and intelligence officials in Washington because it undermined the search for senior aides to Saddam, who fled Iraq in large numbers after the fall of Baghdad on April 9.
"It made it very difficult to track these people," one official said.
A second Bush administration official said, "It's like Raoul Wallenberg in reverse," a reference to the Swedish diplomat who supplied travel documents to help Jews escape Nazi Germany in World War II. "Now you have the French helping the bad guys escape from us.".... Full Article
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: capture; decapitation; escape; flee; france; french; iraq; iraqifreedom; nonallyfrance; regime; saddam; treachery
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Pretty serious charge. I will reserve judgment until the facts come out.
To: jagrmeister
from the article,
"Britain, Denmark and Ireland are not part of the Schengen pact."
Last I was there (last year), denmark WAS part of Schengen, as well as Norway, Sweden, and Iceland (not sure about finland)....Britain and Ireland maintain a separate passport zone, but between the republic of ireland and the uk, as well as jersey and guernsey there are no passport controls. I don't know about gibraltar. In practice, border controls between Switzerland and the Schengen countries (meaning all of switzerland's borders) are lax at best, I have yet to be actually stopped in car across the german/swiss border.
To: jagrmeister
Asked about the passports, Nathalie Loiseau, a spokeswoman for the French Embassy, said French authorities have not issued any visas to officials of the former Iraqi regime since the beginning of the war in Iraq, either in Syria or elsewhere. How about just before the war?
3
posted on
05/05/2003 11:09:07 PM PDT
by
piasa
(Attitude adjustments offered here free of charge.)
To: jagrmeister
As I said on the other thread, it's time to break relations with these bastards and start aggressive military patrols, probing their airspace, borders, etc. Just like we do with all of our enemies.
To: jagrmeister
If true, the EU is going to have some serious problems with France letting the "riff raff" in.
5
posted on
05/05/2003 11:14:45 PM PDT
by
Teetop
(Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.)
To: piasa
As I posted on another thread about this.
The answer is simple do not accept any French passports. Anyone traveling on one should be deported ASAP including diplomats.
6
posted on
05/05/2003 11:15:28 PM PDT
by
Kadric
To: jagrmeister
French government secretly supplied fleeing Iraqi cials with passports in Syria that allowed them to escape to Europe, The Washington Times has learned. Here's an interesting related article.
France, U.S. back high-tech passport
As usual the French speak out of both sides of their mouths.
To: jagrmeister
You forgot the best part of this article ... the advertisement at the end!!!
8
posted on
05/05/2003 11:20:06 PM PDT
by
AgThorn
(Continue to pray for our Troops!!)
To: TexKat
ping
9
posted on
05/05/2003 11:23:00 PM PDT
by
MEG33
To: jagrmeister
I agree, very serious. If this is true would it not seem that France like Syria should be considered for sanctions?
What terrorists have done all over the world and including 9-11 leaves no wiggle room for any crap or lip service from anyone.
To: Teetop
I really hope this is not true..
11
posted on
05/05/2003 11:29:59 PM PDT
by
MEG33
To: firebrand; StarFan; Dutchy; stanz; RaceBannon; Cacique; Clemenza; rmlew; NYC GOP Chick; ...
ping!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off my infrequent ping list.
12
posted on
05/05/2003 11:31:51 PM PDT
by
nutmeg
(USA: Land of the Free - Thanks to the Brave)
To: jagrmeister
France, that $h!ty little perverted country. It is getting close to giving le Froggies a well deserved 8!tch slap.
13
posted on
05/05/2003 11:42:11 PM PDT
by
Ursus arctos horribilis
("It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees!" Emiliano Zapata 1879-1919)
To: MEG33
It most probably IS true and fits France's MO, to a tee.
To: jagrmeister
I was just thinking about this too. It wouldn't be a huge suprise, if both Osama and Saddam and sons turned up living in a villa some where in France, or Russia or Germany, I don't think its too far fetched. (Either that or they turn up at Berkley as Commencement speakers)
15
posted on
05/05/2003 11:46:47 PM PDT
by
fly_so_free
(Never underestimate the treachery of the demacratic party. Save the USA-Vote a demacrat out of offic)
To: MEG33
France has some splainin' to do.
16
posted on
05/05/2003 11:48:42 PM PDT
by
dfwgator
To: jagrmeister
U.S. Troops have been ordered to use a black marker to revise their Most Wanted Iraqis playing cards by drawing berets and goatees on the men, mustaches on the women, and lots of stink lines for everyone.
17
posted on
05/06/2003 12:07:39 AM PDT
by
Kawolski
To: dfwgator
That will have to be an addition to the list.
18
posted on
05/06/2003 12:07:57 AM PDT
by
MEG33
To: jagrmeister
Unbelievable, and yet so believable. Our friends the French...
To: Beacon Falls
We should impose economic sanctions on France and break the weasals once and for all.
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