London Observer (Sunday): Blair gets the cold shoulder at Berlin summit

[Jack Rabbit]

From the London Observer (Sunday supplement of the Guardian Unlimited)
Dated Sunday Spetember 21

Blair gets the cold shoulder at Berlin summit
By Luke Harding in Berlin

Tony Blair's efforts to seek agreement with France and Germany over Iraq suffered an embarrassing setback yesterday when French President Jacques Chirac bluntly insisted that power should be handed back to Iraqis in a 'few months'.
Speaking after a meeting with Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, Blair sought to set aside his diplomatic feud with Paris and Berlin - and said all three leaders believed the United Nations should play a 'key role' in rebuilding Iraq. 'Whatever differences there have been over Iraq, it is important that France and Britain and Germany should work together,' Blair said.
But his conciliatory remarks did little to hide the continuing split between Britain and the United States and France - and, to a lesser extent, Germany - over the timetable for returning Iraq to domestic rule. Chirac yesterday repeated his demand that the UN be given a 'significant and operational role' in running the country. The transfer of sovereignty should be 'immediate', he added. While Schröder was less outspoken, it was clear that Germany supports the French position.
Schröder, who hosted yesterday's summit, greeted Blair with a polite, effusive handshake. By contrast, he gave the French President an enormous bear hug, a sign of the two countries' continuing political warmth.
Chirac's unambiguous comments make it less rather than more likely that agreement can be reached next week at the UN on a new resolution drafted by Washington. All three leaders are flying to New York for discussions, with the German Chancellor meeting George Bush for the first time in more than a year.

Read more.

[Cha]

1. I would imagine the Iraqis would love it if the "power were handed

back to Iraq in a few months"...but it ain't gonna happen with the Americans and the British runnin' the show.

[FauxNewsBlues]

2. The Poodle is dead

He just doesn't know it yet. New Labour is going to select a new PM and Blair will have plenty of time to wonder what in the hell he was thinking with the whole being Shrub's poodle thingy.

[liberalmuse]

9. The poodle will be fine...

once he's with John Major on the board of The Carlyle Group making multi-millions. Then again, the Bushies just might not give him a seat if he can't help dig Jr. out of this hole.

[Jack Rabbit]

10. Of course, Tony can agree to help dig a hole for Junior

Once Junior is in his 8 x 10' cell in The Hague, maybe the Poodle can dig a hole for him.

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. Looks like W is gonna hit another trifecta

Chirac
Shroeder
Putin

all say NO to W.

[Jack Rabbit]

8. Perhaps there will be one more:

Blair's successor as leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister. That's probably Gordon Brown. He could turn the Frat Boy down as early as next month.

[legin]

4. Hey

I think you guys may have found yourselves a new Sec. of State.

I would like to say that this will be tremendous loss for us in britain, but sometimes one does have to make sacrifices for the greater good.

:evilgrin:

[Jack Rabbit]

5. Wouldn't Tony have to be an American citizen first?

Well, Ashcroft is running around promoting legislation that would give him the right to strip Americans of their citizenship. Why not just give him the right to bestow it on whom he pleases?

[legin]

6. Please don't put obstacles in the way Jack Rabbit

:evilgrin:

[KoKo]

7. I quake with fear for our economy wondering what Chimp has offered Them!

Russia in particular.......

We won't know what goes on "behind the scenes with deals" until our Dem President is voted in and then the s**t will hit the fan. Chimp has probably had "deals concocted" that will have to be honored for years!

And we taxpayers will have to "clean up the mess" and our Dem President will be hamstrung by all Chimp/PNAC bribes.....

I don't blame, GB, France, Germany and Russia....but hey..they have Chimp over a barrel...why not extract some good deals for them having to cave in to stop US from putting the whole Middle East into Chaos!

Politics is Politics....but we won't know....unless the walls of the UN and Camp David have "ears." :-(

[sspiderjohn]

11. Tony, you can't buy back your integrity -- it's gone.

nm

[Nottingham]

12. Poor Blair is just a twit and a puppet!

Germany & France are turning out to be RIGHT All Along