Just in case anyone wondered why I consider President Chirac to be an complete disgrace to his country I offer the following article from the New Statesman:
... The Elysee Palace's routine disregard of its clients' human rights records makes President Jacques Chirac's new status as hero of the left and guardian of Europe's conscience on Iraq all the more ironic. This is the same Jacques Chirac who, as French premier in the 1970s, sold Saddam Hussein two nuclear power plants ("This deal with France is the very first concrete step towards production of the Arab atomic bomb," gushed Saddam). Chirac later declared himself "truly fascinated by Saddam Hussein since 1974". France went on to sell the Ba'athist regime $1.5bn of weapons.
In the 1990s, the French oil giant TotalFinaElf spent six years developing the Majnoon and Bin Umar oilfields, representing 25 per cent of Iraq's oil reserves. Alcatel won contracts worth $75m, its main task being to upgrade Baghdad's phone system; Renault sold Iraq $75m worth of farming equipment; and, once the trade embargo was partially lifted, France controlled 25 per cent of Iraq's imports. It is estimated that, in 2001 alone, 60 French firms did $1.5bn in trade under the now-suspect oil-for-food programme. In December 2003, when the US announced it was barring opponents of the Iraq war from bidding for US-financed projects worth $18bn, France professed astonishment. The then French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, said Iraq's sovereignty should be resolved before reconstruction could begin.
France was more enthusiastic about invading Afghanistan, and it has duly reaped the economic rewards. According to de Villepin, France has made Afghanistan a priority for financial assistance. It pays its 18 per cent share of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office budget, which in turn funds reconstruction. However, unlike the Germans, who are giving an additional $390m (£214m) over the next four years, the French have so far sent only an extra 33.7m (£22.4m) and are being bad-mouthed for not stumping up more in the present deteriorating security situation.
France has total armed forces of 450,000, of whom 5,000 are stationed in African states with which France has a "defence agreement". However, only 550 could be found for Afghanistan, where the Taliban are now resurgent in the south and east, and warlords in the north make the prospect of free and fair elections unlikely.
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And then there was Chirac's outburst in Turkey complaining about Bush's statement that he thought Turkey should join the EU. I mean it is not as if Bush said anythign that numerous other leaders of the Eu have already said, indeed in the past both Blair and Schröder have said almost identical things.
And to top it all despite the desires of everyone else in NATO Chirac declares that Afghanistan can go to hell - AFGHAN PROBLEMS
Chirac told a news conference the elite NATO Response Force, set up last year with a heavy French contingent but not due to become fully operational until October 2006, should only be used when there is a security crisis, not for routine operations.
"Just one country opposed using elements of the force," the NATO official said, referring to France.
NATO agreed Monday to add roughly 1,500 troops to its 6,500-strong peacekeeping force for the polls, but it has drawn criticism for restricting its deployment to Kabul and the relatively stable north of the violence-plagued country.
The alliance has tried to showcase its Afghan operation as proof it has transformed itself from a Cold War (news - web sites) defense machine into a force for combating modern security threats such as terrorism far beyond its European and North American borders.
But the troop shortages have undermined its credibility. In Kabul, Defense Ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimy said: "It's up to...NATO, but this is not sufficient, we expect more."
Oh and then there are his various domestic troubles such as his finance minister who is both ambitious and reasonably competant. Perhaps that explains his recent sensitivity to external criticism?
I despise l'Escroc and Vile
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