 |
SwiftVets.com
Service to Country
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
RogerRabbit
Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined: 05 Sep 2004
Posts: 748
Location: Oregon
|
 Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 2:31 pm Post subject: Pierre sweating George being re-elcted |
 |
|
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041027-091338-7302r.htm
| Quote: |
Analysis: France dreading Bush re-election
By Georges Sassine
UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
Paris, France, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- French officials and politicians are worrying about the pending outcome of next week's U.S. presidential elections, which they fear President George W. Bush could win, prolonging the standoff with France over Iraq and the Middle East crisis.
French fear is almost universal as the latest official polls show that 85 percent of the French support Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry.
Politicians are raising questions as to how France should react after Nov. 2 if Bush wins a second mandate. Will France need to change its policies vis-à-vis Arab causes, notably Iraq and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict?
Pierre Moscovici, a former minister of European affairs, stressed that France "has a key interest in changing the current U.S. administration which has failed tremendously."
"Bush adopted a unilateral foreign policy seeking to reshape the Near East and this policy failed dramatically and shook world security," Moscovici was quoted as saying Tuesday in daily Le Parisien.
"A new mandate for Bush will be even more dangerous in view of his right-wing tendency and we expect the ... conservatives to go even further," Moscovici added.
Asked if Kerry's victory would improve U.S.-French relations which soured significantly under Bush, Moscovici said, "There are basics which no one can ignore, notably that the United States suffered a painful blow on Sept. 11, 2001, and it is obsessed by security and the fight against terrorism."
"Furthermore, the foreign policy of any country reflects its special interests, and we do not expect matters to change overnight," he added.
He noted, however, that an administration under Kerry would probably include people who worked with former U.S. President Bill Clinton "and these are reliable figures who respect multilateral work and do not scorn their allies and know Europe and France very well."
In the meantime, French strategists preparing scenarios for post-Nov. 2 are divided in to two groups.
The first opts for keeping up Paris' present policies, notably the blunt opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq and the bid to find a speedy settlement of the Palestinian question.
The second group calls for changing French foreign policy to avoid isolation and the loss of additional markets while at the same time preparing to deal with the anticipated U.S. campaign against Iran.
"We are preparing for all possibilities and drawing realistic plans because what we care for at this historic turn is to maintain our political principles on the one hand and to open up to the Americans if we find good response on the other hand," a French official who requested anonymity told United Press International.
He argued that international relations became tense and complicated as a result of the unilateral policies of the Bush administration, which waged a pre-emptive war on Iraq without legal backing and fuelled anti-U.S. and anti-West sentiments in the Arab and Muslim world.
"These matters reflected adversely on us, and there is an urgent need to deal with them with a wise policy," the source said.
He said the situations in Iraq and the Palestinian territories are deteriorating daily, "necessitating joint international efforts to get out of the quagmire. Otherwise, the tornado will destroy the moderate regimes in the region and turn it into real hell."
The source predicted that Bush would maintain his present foreign policy if he wins a second term in office "which previews new regional and international crises unless grounds for joint action are found."
The official source argued that if Kerry were to win the elections, he could not maintain a policy of ignoring the settlement of the Palestinian question, "although he (Kerry) expressed strong support for Israel."
He contended that one could expect activation of the stalled Middle East peace process at the behest of the team who worked with President Clinton.
With regard to Iraq, the source said, "We do not expect Kerry to pull out U.S. troops immediately from Iraq, but he would launch new ideas for getting out of that swamp."
"The Iraq issue has become an internal American question which the presidential campaign largely tackled. ... That is why we expect Kerry to be more attentive to what his allies and international powers have to say in order to find a logical solution," he added.
Pascal Boniface, director of the Institute of International and Strategic Relations, saw no difference in substance between Bush and Kerry "but only in form."
"Even if Bush wins, the United States will have to change its foreign policy in view of its growing isolation," Boniface said.
"France does not have to modify its strategy and foreign policy because it is not isolated at the international level. The question is: What would the U.S. do to reconcile itself with the rest of the world?" he asked.
Political writer and strategist Arnaud Blin, on the other hand, called for a modification of French foreign policy.
"France should give up its ambition of creating a counter force to the U.S. by seeking to redraw the balance of powers. ... One of the mistakes committed by France in the last few years was its reluctance to support U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell who represented the moderate side of the U.S. administration," Blin argued.
He urged Paris to cooperate with the Bush administration regardless of the difficulties, including the accusations by senior U.S. officials of French enmity and antagonism.
He said France should always remind Washington of its commitments in Iraq, such as holding general elections in the Arab country in January.
"The upcoming conference on Iraq in Egypt could be a good occasion that should not be missed," he added.
Iraq's neighboring countries and the member of the G8 group are scheduled to meet in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Nov. 22 to discuss Iraq's future. |
_________________
"Si vis pacem, para bellum" |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Hondo
LCDR
Joined: 26 Aug 2004
Posts: 423
Location: USA
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 2:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
85% in France like Kerry, eh?
Puis, au Français je dis: fornicate vous.
_________________
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse."
-- John Stuart Mill |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Steve Z
Rear Admiral
Joined: 20 Aug 2004
Posts: 687
Location: West Hartford CT
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 4:28 pm Post subject: France and Palestinians |
|
|
Since my wife is French, she watches French TV5 news which we pick up by satellite. It is so incredibly biased that sometimes I feel like twisting the dish as much as French news has twisted her mind.
They are very sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, regarding the Palestinians as "victims" of Israel's "butchery", conveniently leaving out the fact that Israelis get routinely blown up in buses and pizza parlors.
But maybe the Palestinian problem will be resolved, not by the American election, but by the coming demise of Yasser Arafat. After French TV5 tried to portray him as a martyr, I replied to my wife, "Bon debarras" (= Good Riddance)!
_________________
The traitor will crater! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jataylor11
Vice Admiral
Joined: 10 Aug 2004
Posts: 856
Location: Woodbridge, Virginia
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
These are the same people that sent rounded up their Jewish citizens and gladly sent them off to Hitler.....
one day soon they will wish they had this option for the Islamo fascists in their midst
The immigrant Arab population is a major problem to the WASP/Catholic Europeans -- they have ignored it for years because the are anti-semitic |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
oasis
Lieutenant
Joined: 21 Aug 2004
Posts: 201
Location: Florida, want some sun? LoL!
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 7:00 pm Post subject: Re: France and Palestinians |
|
|
| Steve Z wrote: |
They are very sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, regarding the Palestinians as "victims" of Israel's "butchery", conveniently leaving out the fact that Israelis get routinely blown up in buses and pizza parlors.
|
Hello,
We discussed this on another forum some time ago here is my reply.
Israel News Agency
Jerusalem----May 2....Palestinian terrorists murdered five members of an Israeli family, a mother and her four young children, this afternoon.
It's time for America to move against the Palestinian threat in defense of our Ally and friend.
| Quote: | Israel News Agency
Jerusalem----May 2....Palestinian terrorists murdered five members of an Israeli family, a mother and her four young children, this afternoon. The terror attack targeted the family vehicle while it was traveling on the road that leads to the Gaza Strip settlement bloc of Gush Katif.
Another Israeli civilian traveling in a separate car suffered moderate gunfire wounds in the attack near the Netzer Hazani settlement.
The terrorists arrived by car from the nearby Palestinian village of Dir al Ballah and began to fire at passing Israeli vehicles, consequently killing the mother and her four children. Another Israeli traveling in the opposite direction, was also wounded.
An Israel Defense Forces jeep arrived at the scene and engaged in gunfire with the terrorists, killing them. During the gun battle an explosion took place but it was still unclear whether it was caused by a grenade or by a bomb.
Two IDF Givati brigade soldiers were wounded during the gun battle and were airlifted to Soroka hospital in Be'er Sheva together with the Israeli civilian.
Following the terror attack, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz canceled his participation in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Center of Human Dignity Museum of Tolerance, sponsored by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, in Jerusalem Sunday.
The terror attack only provided fuel for Jewish settler leaders in Gaza saying that the attack proves that Likud members must vote against the disengagement plan in order not to give a prize to terrorists.
Meanwhile Sunday, the Likud referendum on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan opened at 8 AM with polls to close at 10 PM. Final results will be announced at 2AM Monday.
443 polls have been set up for the 193, 000 card-carrying Likud members who are eligible to vote. Roughly 1, 300 security guards and police will secure the proceedings throughout the country. 176 lawyers have been tasked with overseeing the vote's legality.
An explosive device was detonated near the site of the shooting while the IDF troops were chasing the terrorists, but it caused no injuries.
Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad and Popular Resistance Committees, an umbrella group, claimed responsibility for the "heroic" attack in a call to The Associated Press.
The resistance committees said the attack was in response to Israel's recent assassinations of the founder of the Hamas militant group, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and his successor, Abdel Aziz Rantisi.
"The attack is part of the Palestinian reprisals for the daily crimes committed by the Israeli army against the Palestinian people, especially the killings of Yassin and Rantisi," the group said.
The spotlight is now on PA Chairman Yasser Arafat as many Israeli sources consider him next in line for assassination after master terrorists Yassin and Rantisi were killed by Israeli security. Arafat, who signed the Oslo Peace Accords and agreed to the US brokered Road Map peace plan, has broken these commitments by not confronting terror organizations under his control. Recently Arafat ordered 20 wanted terrorists to leave his home in Rahmallah fearing an immediate Israeli attack against him.
Settlement leader Yehoshua Mor-Yosef said the dead were all Gush Katif residents. A resident of Gush Katif settlement Kfar Darom said the family was on its way to campaign against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan. The attack took place the same day as the party referendum on the pullout from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz canceled scheduled appearances Sunday and planned to convene with top security officials to plan a response to the attack, military sources said.
Opponents and proponents of the disengagement plan interpreted the attack according to their respective political convictions, with Likud MK Yuval Steinitz saying the attack did not make the plan any less necessary and Likud MK Ehud Yatom saying the attack must enhance the fierce opposition to disengagement.
The attack was the first to kill civilians in Gaza in more than a year.
Israeli MK Ehud Yatom, who opposes PM Sharon's disengagement plan, stated: "The purpose of the attack is to create a situation where the surrender to terrorism and escape come sooner. Therefore, Likud voters' response to terrorism must be opposition to the surrender plan".
Israeli Minister Yisrael Katz said that the attack should not be linked to the disengagement poll, but added: "The attack reinforces the Chief of Staff's claim that disengagement gives terrorism a backwind".
MK Uri Ariel (National Union) demanded forceful action against the terrorists. "I demand that the Defense Minister order the demolition of houses on both sides of the Kissufim road and that the High Court of Justices refrains from again delaying action that is essential to the security of Israeli citizens", he said.
Israeli Minister Gideon Ezra, who does support the PM's plan, said: "Our hearts are with the Katif Block residents. The poll today is intended to address exactly those painful issues. The government is obligated to protect its citizens, to fight terrorism, and to remain only in places optimal for us".
Ezra added: "The Gaza region is protected by a fence, and whoever gets near it will by killed. We are obligated to go along with the Prime Minister, the Chief of Staff, and the chiefs of the GSS and of IDF Intelligence, who know better than all of us".
Palestinian terrorists repeatedly use their own children as suicide bombers and as human shields when attacking Israelis and have intentionally targeted Israeli children in recent months. Matan, 5, and Noam Ohion, 4, and their mother were shot and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist at Kibbutz Metzer in central Israel last November. The terrorists walked into the child's bedroom and shot the children as they were sitting in their beds.
Security sources said the body of the boys' mother, Revital, 34, was riddled with bullets, apparently because she had tried to shield her children as the gunman burst into the children's room.
The terrorist burst in as the mother was reading the children a bedtime story.The Islamic madman then killed two more Israelis at the kibbutz before escaping in the dark. Dozens of Israeli children have been murdered and hundreds injured on public buses and in restaurants which were targets for Palestinian terrorism. In April of 2002, both Israeli senior citizens and their small grandchildren were slaughtered when a Palestinian terrorist blew up the Park Hotel in Netanya, killing 29 Jews in what's referred to as the Passover Massacre.
Yasser Arafat, who was born in Egypt, claims that "Palestine" is occupied and that "armed resistance" is the only solution to ending the "occupation." The West Bank was Jordan and Gaza was Egypt prior to the 1967 Israel Arab war. When Palestinians claim that Palestine is occupied, they are not referring to Nablus, Jenin or Rahmallah, they are directly referring to all of the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean - the State of Israel.
Many Israeli and world leaders believe that we will not see regional stability until Arafat has been assassinated and replaced with a Palestinian leader who will confront terror and create jobs for Palestinians.
The U.S. State Department has renewed a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of those involved in the terror attack of a U.S. diplomatic convoy in Gaza last October.
The October 15 roadside bombing killed three security personnel working for the U.S. military contractor DynCorp as they guarded American diplomats traveling into Gaza to interview Palestinians who were candidates for Fulbright Scholarship grants.
|
Guess what? I love all people everywhere but I hate there crimes.
Love is a name lost in time and proud people turn from it.
It is time to turn to love and forgiveness.
_________________
-Oasis
Please donate to the.. RED CROSS |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bystander
PO3
Joined: 25 Aug 2004
Posts: 271
Location: MI
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 8:37 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hondo, I speak or understand absolutely no French but I think I know what you're telling them--especially the last two words. Are they in the same vein as what VP Cheney said to Leahy? 
_________________
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
..................................Eleanor Roosevelt |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
oasis
Lieutenant
Joined: 21 Aug 2004
Posts: 201
Location: Florida, want some sun? LoL!
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
next generation
Seaman Recruit
Joined: 09 Aug 2004
Posts: 46
|
| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2004 8:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Could it be that the French are so concerned because they know that President Bush will not allow that inconvenient little "Oil for Food" Scandal to get swept under the carpet? Things are NOT looking good for Chirac right about now, as the dots are being connected practically to his office door. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
