The French are batting a 1000. This is just the latest in their long line of surrenders.
Schroeder Welcomes French Proposal On UN Iraq Vote
Monday, March 10 2003 @ 08:55 AM GMT
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told French President Jacques Chirac Sunday, March 9, he agreed that heads of state and government should vote on any draft U.N. resolution on Iraq, a spokesman said. "During a telephone interview on Sunday, the German chancellor welcomed the French proposition that heads of state and government themselves should be present during any vote at the Security Council," the spokesman said, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
The proposal for leaders to take part in any vote was one of several put to the U.N. Security Council on Friday, March 7, in a speech by French Foreign Minister Dominque de Villepin. Washington has already rejected the proposal.
But with the threat of war against Iraq looming closer, members of a deeply split Security Council prepared the diplomatic ground ahead of a crucial week in the United Nations. The 15 members of the United Nations' top body were expected to vote Tuesday, March 11, on a British-U.S. draft resolution co-sponsored by Spain, giving Iraq until March 17 to comply with U.N. demands to disarm or face military action.
Amid a flurry of behind-the-scenes activity the draft is met by scant support, as pro-wait camp led by veto-wielding France, China and Russia is gaining momentum against the U.S.-led pro-war camp. The balance further tipped against the U.S.-British side when a top Angolan official said Luanda would not back the resolution, although the non-permanent member has yet to declare its official position.
"We will not back this resolution... because its terms are not accepted by anyone," Deputy Foreign Minister Jorge Chicote told the BBC. Angola, along with Mexico, Chile, Guinea, Cameroon and Pakistan, are non-permanent members of the Security Council said to be wavering between U.S.-led demands for military action and insistence by China, France and Russia on additional arms inspections.
The Angolan official admitted that his country has been under tremendous pressure to vote in favor of the United States but denied reports that Luanda has promised to vote for a resolution favoring war in exchange for IMF and World Bank support.
"It is not 50 or 100 million dollars or an increase in aid that will solve Angola's problems," he said. War-ravaged Angola is seeking reconstruction funding from the World Bank and the IMF, both of which are strongly “influenced” by U.S. foreign-policy calculations.
Rally for "NO"
But Paris was meanwhile preparing a diplomatic offensive aimed at the three African members yet to officially signal their position, with de Villepin set to leave later for Angola, Cameroon and Guinea. His tour was to begin just as U.S. President George W. Bush “intervened” personally to stress the importance of bilateral relations to Cameroon President Paul Biya.
While de Villepin made it clear in New York on Friday that France will do all that is necessary to stop a resolution "authorizing the automatic use of force," the Paris government is well aware of the potential damage to its relations with Washington and to the future of the U.N. as an international force.
http://palestinechronicle.com/article.php?story=20030310085508909