[A-List] US imperialism: France

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

Veto would put France out in the cold, warns America
By John Lichfield in Paris
The Independent
26 February 2003

The US ambassador to Paris gave a blunt warning yesterday that
Franco-American relations would plunge into the deep freeze if France used
its UN veto to block a draft second resolution on Iraq.

Howard Leach told a French television interviewer: "I hope there won't be a
veto, because a veto would be very unfriendly, and we would not look
favourably on that."

Officially, France says that it has not yet considered whether or not to use
its veto, as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
Paris says it is still hopeful that a majority will support its alternative
plan to strengthen inspections and extend them for four months.

But French sources unofficially accept that Paris is nearing a dangerous
precipice. If most of the Council backs the US, France would face an
impossible choice. If it used its veto, it would seem to be blocking the
will of the
international community. The future of the Security Council the veto and the
French role would be called into question.

The US, Britain and Spain tabled the second resolution before the Security
Council on Monday, in effect beginning a two-week countdown to war. But
France, backed by Russia, China and Germany, submitted a plan aimed at
averting military action as long as the inspection process is going on.

Canada distributed a compromise plan yesterday in which Iraq would be given
a 28 March deadline to comply with UN demands or face war. The Canadian
paper said the plan aimed to bridge the gap between an "open-ended" and a
"truncated inspection process", leaving "no doubt that war was a last
resort".

French deputies will debate Iraq today. They are expected to endorse the
government's position. However, some centre-right deputies want President
Jacques Chirac to be more flexible.

Axel Poniatowksi, of Mr Chirac's UMP party and head of the assembly's
Franco-American friendship group, said: "A veto would be particularly
inappropriate ... It would not be in the interests of our country and would
damage Franco-American relations for many years."

Diplomatic sources said the likely outcome ­ if the US assembled a pro-war
majority ­ was that France would abstain and be outvoted. It would not use
its veto but would not participate in the war.