frogboy,
"France is currently in the Ivory Coast and had gone down there without UN Approval." For your information, you should go there : http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/sc7657.doc.htm
Yes, France granted the authorization from UN to go to Ivory Coast.
"And France is the only reason why there wasn't a second resolution explicitly authorizing force" Oh, really ? Then why didn't Bush put his second resolution to vote in order to get a "moral victory" by winning the 9 necessary votes ?
That's quite weird because France is seen as the only culprit of the war issue. What about all others countries (like Russia and China with also veto powers) ?
I'm not anti-american at all (I went there several times to visit some friends) but I really don't understand all those reactions. What's all that, only because we're not on the same track than the US government (and some american ppl) means that we're wrong ? Come on, as some of you say, everyone has the right to express his own view.
Veto threat has nothing to do with trying to increase France place over the world. It's just a matter of "is war the only issue to disarm saddam".
I agree that saddam is evil and must be removed but until now, I'm still waiting the evidence that he has something to deal with al-qaida or he owns WMD. Well, if it's clear that he owns those kind of weapons, then why didn't Bush admistration told us how they're sure about that ? It has been said that one of the UK/US report presented at a UN security council was a plagia of an american student. Do you think that we should go to war only because a report made 10 years ago is arguing that saddam owns those kind of weapons ? If saddam owns WMD, then of course, all must be done to destroy them, but until now, anything proved that. If you can, then please give me a link, I would be more than interested by reading that evidence.
I'm reading a lot of news websites, not only french ones (like cnn, abcnews, foxnews, bbcnews, nypost and some spanish ones) in order to get as many informations as I can, and to avoid falling only in the french point of view.
Besides the fact that some american ppl are acting strangely against france (like pooring wine and Evian water - which is btw owned by 51% by Coca-Cola), there is a huge feeling that inspections are getting results and should continue. Of course, they can't continue forever, that's why inspectors should say if they can achieve their work in a resonable delay or not. That's the goal of UN inspectors. If they say that they can't work efficiently, then sure another solution should have to be found but until now, they didn't say that.
As for France's interests in Irak, France is importing about 7% of Irak oil -which is almost nothing -. Main oil importations are coming from Norway, Saoudian Arabia, UK. Deals with Irak represents about 3% (while they were about 15% in 1996)
Are there some other hidden interests between Irak and France ? I honestly don't know.
I'm not specially pro-Chirac, but for once, I must admit that I agree with his position. War has nothing to deal with being a coward or not as you seem to insinuate "France, btw, didn't think Hitler was evil enough to even fight for their own capital".
Did you ever live in an occupied city ? You can't tell that. It's an offense to ppl who resisted and lost their lives. Sure, in any war and any place, you'll always find some unscrupulous ppl making profit of it, but don't say that the majority did.
You can agree with the war issue, but don't blam France or french because they don't. At the very beginning of that crisis, Bush always said that he didnd't need UN agreement to
go to war. That's a fact, he said it. So what's the real pb with that veto ? After all, he doesn't need any vote, no ? I think that he was looking for UN agreements only to share the war costs. That's my personal opinion (not necessary france's one)
I'm not for war, I'm not anti-american nor pro-saddam. Too bad to see that UN has collapsed just because some thinks that war is the only issue to resolve a crisis.
I respect all point of views, so I hope others will respect the ones from countries which are thinking in a different way without falling into the so easy "blam him because he doesn't agree" !
