US does not pay back favours, says Chirac

[CHIMO]

Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac clashed openly last night over the future course of Europe's relationship with the United States as the prime minister insisted they must work together for world peace and the French president suggested it is increasingly pointless.

Mr Chirac, speaking ahead of his state visit to London, said that Britain had gained nothing in return for supporting the US over Iraq and that he did not think "it is in the nature of our American friends today" to pay back favours.

"I'm not sure, the US being what it is today, whether it is possible for anyone, even the British, to play the role of the friendly go-between," he said.

He described the Franco-British relationship as "built on competition, which implies mutual esteem ... It's a kind of violent love affair."


http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,11538,1352325,00.html

[Cha]

1. Why do I love this right

wing French Leader?

Stick it to him, Chirac!

[DuaneBidoux]

3. My French father-in-law hates Chirac

He thinks that Chirac combined with Bush constitutes "The perfect storm." I just think it's funny that it is never conservatives that have problems getting along with other countries liberals. I've always said conservatives are like lawyers, I need mine because you need yours. Change the label and their all the same underneath regardless of the country they come from.

[Fear]

5. Amen - I'm with your father-in-law....

[DuaneBidoux]

10. Talk with him all the time on the phone from Toulouse France

He says Bush and Chirac are two peas in a pod, the only difference is that Bush has a lower IQ. It must be why they get along so well together.

[VegasWolf]

11. Yes, but at this moment in time, awol NEEDS to be countered.

[struggle4progress]

2. Sounds like Jacques is weary of the bushit. eom

[RebelYell]

4. "work together for world peace"

War is too profitable.

[Baja Margie]

6. Why is Chirac holding out so much

does anyone know where France gets their oil from?

[Capt_Nemo]

7. Because he knows that the US has never been so vulnerable

now that the Iraq war has exposed to everybody the limits of US military might, which was the only thing hyper about the so-called "hyperpower".

But DUers should not forget that Chirac still is a right-winger, as you can see
from the quote in the same interview:
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=583269
"This is what the intellectuals say and you should always listen to intellectuals because they are very interesting people. But they are always wrong." :eyes:

[pinniped]

8. Don't bother with *, peace is not a word in his limited vocabulary.

n/t

[Eurobabe]

9. I respect Jacques for giving it to the Chimp...

[Forkboy]

12. I wish I could post this down in the I/P Forum (DU's own forum for bigots)

I love seeing Francophobes heads pop.To them,if you dont join in the French bashing you must love Chirac.They apparently are also amazed that some people can walk and chew gum at the time too.

[DuaneBidoux]

13. As a Fluent French speaker who lived in France and has French Family

Let me say that virtually no-one in the US Liberal or Conservative has the remotest clue about France, why they opposed the war, or why they currently hate the shit out of Bush (and now, unfortunately for me post Nov. 2nd, the Americans).

The reasons was simple: they believed it would be a disaster. They believed it had the potential to become the Christians against the Muslims, they did not believe that Iraq could hold together after a war. They believed it played perfectly into Bin Ladens hands. In other words, they actually LISTENED to their experts on the Middle East (that's the crazy thing about the French, they may be (are) snobs-but after living there I'm going to tell you they've earned the right to be snobs one hell of a lot more than Americans.

You see they believe in history, and "fancy book learnin'" even for "average" people. Not to mention they have had the experience of getting into the Middle East and fucking it up good, of getting into Africa and fucking it up good (see the Ivory Coast for references). And if you talk to them they are humble about these experiences and admit that THEY fucked them up good (including admitting they fucked up Vietnam long before we got to it-while our guys steadfastly remain clueless or still refuse to face reality on that debacle).

Unfortunately, we now have someone in Chirac so similar to Bush (but add in about 100 IQ points-maybe a Cheney who knows good wine and music) and you have two guys that can't help but get on each other. I lived in France during Mitterrand. He was far from perfect, but I have no doubt that he would have been much more diplomatic and successful in unifying Europe against the U.S. in this ill advised adventure. And with Mitterrand there would have been no European support for U.S. actions, even with someone like Thatcher. Mitterrand was a much better diplomat (like most politicians on the left)than Chirac (he is right wing). Had Bush faced Mitterrand during his escapades There would have been no Poland or anyone else coming with the U.S. from Europe either "Old" or "New."

[Forkboy]

14. Nice post

I firmly believe the only reason so many Americans consider the Fench snobs is because the wont kiss our even more snobbish asses :)

[Rochambeau]

15. I would not be as affirmative as you are Duane but your last paragraph

about the great qualities of diplomacy of Mitterand compared to the rudeness of Chirac sounds very pertinent.

Chirac should stop right now his little personnal vendetta against W. It's childish. I don't say that we should go buddy-buddy with him but you can't build up a foreign policy on a personnal vendetta.
Second thing, Chirac is wrong on the point "US does not pay back favours" !
US is paying back Haiti to the French right now with Ivory Coast (see UN). I think the French governement is right on Ivory Coast (even if the method is sometimes inappropriate) but the US could easily give us hard time about that affair but they don't while, at the same time Chirac has a very hostile attitude toward the W misadministration and those like B.liar who support her (see the article).
The W administration is neither blind nor deaf but they pay back an old deal, the help and support from the French administration in the ousting of Aristide.

[Spazito]

17. Excellent post!

Thanks!

[blackhorse]

16. I'm not really sure

... why the continental EU nations even want Britain in the Union. It looks like the same old pattern -- every time the continent is on the verge of becoming a single power (by whatever means), Britain's traditional role has been that of the spoiler who can't confront the situation alone, but manages to reverse the situation with timely and strategic alliances.

Mind you, I think that was a great role for them to play when the likes of Hitler were bent on unifying Europe through force. But, it seems to be rather counter-productive in the case of the EU, though.

Cheers

[Rochambeau]

18. You are right, since William Pitt and maybe much before it's a rule for

the british foreign policy : consider every attempt to unify the continent as a major threat. It was a good attitude that saved the continent during the Napoleon era and during the two world wars but it was clearly crimininal after the Versailles treaty when the british government afraid of the power of France in 1918 did it's best to weaken the french influence in Europe and helped strongly the merge of a new strong Germany as a counter part and it is still completely stupid now. Great Britain is a trojan horse we may be forced one day to get rid of. What a stupid waste for both GB and Europe.

[go west young man]

19. Chirac is a snob but a smart gambler

compared to our cowboy Bush. The new unified European union is growing incredibly fast, the Euro is gaining on the dollar, France has all of that North African oil, and it is the central hub for the EU. 550 Million strong. With America bogged down in Iraq with an unpopular war France will grow stronger and the U.S. will continue to be a whore for oil. Chirac knows what he's doing. Its brilliant from a political perspective. Tony Blair knows England has to be with the EU more than America in the long run. There's too much at stake for England.