Posted on 04/12/2003 8:22:28 AM PDT by tuna_battle_slight_return
de Villepin uses the word "responsibility" in his message. What about the (pathetic) irresponsibility involved in doing everything to protect a tyrant?
CAIRO (Reuters) - France urged the United States and Britain on Saturday to ensure security for the Iraqi people after scenes of looting and lawlessness following the fall of President Saddam Hussein.
"It is important that everything be done for the security of the population. Coalition forces present on the ground have a particular responsibility," French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin told a news conference after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Starting a tour of Arab Middle East nations, Villepin said there was bound to be a period of restoring security during which U.S. and British forces would play the main role, but it was important this phase be as short as possible to allow an Iraqi government to be established.
Only the United Nations could give that new government the legitimacy it required to begin rebuilding the country and mobilize international aid for reconstruction, he said.
In the Russian city of St Petersburg on Friday, the leaders of France, Germany and Russia -- all strong opponents of the U.S.-led war -- reaffirmed their belief that the United Nations must play the central role in rebuilding Iraq.
Secretary of State Colin Powell has scorned appeals to give the world body a leading political or administrative role, but has said it (U.N.) could coordinate humanitarian assistance.
Villepin said that, while France believed there had been an alternative to war, "with the fall of Saddam Hussein, a new page is turned" and there was no point raking over the past.
He told the Egyptian Council for Foreign Relations the world faced a choice: "On the one hand, we have the temptation to use force, to take unilateral pre-emptive action. On the other, we have the desire for justice and discussion, based on the primacy of law and the legitimacy of international action, vested in the United Nations alone."
ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE EFFORTS
A senior French official said the United States would run into trouble trying to build a stable post-war Iraqi government and would come to realize, as Britain already knew, that only a leading U.N. role would enable it to get its troops home.
"The Iraqi challenge will remain a test for the international community for many years to come," Villepin said.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher rebuffed a question about why the two countries had not called for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. and British forces from Iraq.
"It is not necessary to talk of a withdrawal of foreign troops... Even the Americans and British have indicated their presence was temporary," he said.
Many Arabs are worried the U.S.-British military presence in Iraq could be lengthy and herald a new era of colonialism.
Villepin and Maher stressed the urgency of reviving Middle East peace efforts through the publication of a "road map" to a Palestinian state, drawn up by the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.
The French minister said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was a root cause of frustration and a sense of injustice in the Middle East which fueled tensions and terrorism.
He said France was willing to contribute to an international military presence to observe a cease-fire and to host a conference to provide an international framework for peace, once the first stages of the "road map" had been implemented.
Cairo was Villepin's first stop on a regional tour that will also take him to Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
|
|
|
 |
FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
|
|
It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
|
This guy Villipin is a stupid and delusional as Baghdad Bob. The United States rebuilt Germany and Japan single-handedly.
If I were W and Blair, I wouldn't let the Axis of Weasels contribute anything more than food, medicine, and money. And if we're smart, we'd drop copies of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights over Baghdad.
Translating from Diplomatese to English:
"Our foreign policy was so screwed up about the war in Iraq and the American's military victory is so humiliating that we refuse to talk about it."
The U.N. cannot give legitimacy to any government. The U.S. and our Coalition partners cannot give legitimacy to any government. The only people who have the power to make the government of Iraq legitimate are the people of Iraq, and it will be legitimate to the extent that the people of Iraq participate in it's creation and operation.
Yes, thanks, we'll remember your advice: send inspectors.
This needs to be what CNN,FOX,ABC,NBC, etc. should have running across the bottom of their screens.
This is what Bush has planned. Everyone else needs to butt-out.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.