French PM Blasts US Plans For Iraq Troop Surge

[tocqueville]

French PM Blasts US Plans For Iraq Troop Surge - FT

Dismissing as "absurd" the Bush administration's contention that sending more troops to Iraq would bring peace and stability, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin warned that violence there will only continue to worsen until all foreign troops have pulled out, the Financial Times reported on its Web site Tuesday.

De Villepin told the FT an interview that an occupying force was itself the " founding stone of the crisis" and a clear timetable had to be set for withdrawal.

"The idea of saying that foreign troops will leave when Iraq is democratic and pacific is absurd. It will never happen," he said. "Whatever the level of foreign troops in Iraq, things will continue to deteriorate.

"We need a clear horizon for the departure of foreign troops and the return of full sovereignty to Iraq. Until this is clearly stated, with the stages and the objective of a total withdrawal, things will not improve. I do not know a single diplomatic subject that can be fixed without a clear schedule," de Villepin told the FT.

Newspaper Web site: http://www.ft.com

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20070206%5cACQDJON200702061653DOWJONESDJONLINE000786.htm&

the whole interview can be read here :

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/3be45ce0-b614-11db-9eea-0000779e2340.html

quote :

I see there is a big debate in the UK and US on how to get out of this. The answer must be a gradual and global response. We must act on every level to be effective. The first level must be an interior mobilisation in Iraq and a taking of responsibility internally in Iraq. We must start a national reconciliation, which means giving a place to everyone, which is not the case now. Everyone must participate in the recovery and reconciliation of Iraq. The second stage is on a regional level. All interests in the region must have an interest in the stability of Iraq. Is that the case at the moment? I am not sure. So we need to reinforce dialogue with the neighbouring states of Iraq, and we must create conditions for these states to have an interest in peace for Iraq and the region. We can clearly see today that lots of countries have ulterior motives and are getting an advantage from the instability in Iraq and the region. So we must act. Each of our countries has its own power or influence, which must be put in common, but there must be an objective.

The third mobilisation must be on the international level. For me this is the starting point of a recovery in Iraq. The situation must be clarified. We need a clear horizon for the departure of foreign troops and the return of full sovereignty to Iraq. Until this is clearly stated, with the stages and the objective of a total withdrawal, things will not improve. I do not know a single diplomatic subject that can be fixed without a clear schedule. When you want to solve a crisis in the world, you will not advance without fixing a schedule. The international community is lacking ambition and solidarity, but most of all it is lacking a fixed and dated objective.

I believe we are well placed today, with the international community and the US, to change the situation in Iraq. It is not romanticism or naïvety on my part, I think today it is possible. I refuse to believe in fatalism for the Iraqi crisis. Everyone can see today what risks of destruction and terrorism we face from the gangrene in Iraq of a civil war, with the dramatic consequences of Shiite-Sunni clash for the whole world. I also believe that the world has not fully realised this and we are not giving ourselves the means to avoid a crisis in Iraq.

There are voices capable of weighing in favour of an improvement of the situation. But this must stem from the realisation that the starting point is a clear date for the prospect of a withdrawal of foreign troops. It is the basic principle of the world today, the respect of identity and sovereignty. If we start there, we can turn things around, with a real national reconciliation, a true regional dialogue and an international conference for Iraq that could really put things back on the rails. But as long as there is a worry and doubt over Iraqi sovereignty and there is presence that is a factor of instability, despite being seen as a stabilising factor, we will not escape the spiral of violence. Whatever the level of foreign troops in Iraq, things will continue to deteriorate. It is not a question of numbers, it is a question of principles. One must understand that principles are the foundation of international relations. That is why international life is complicated. I do not think we should approach foreign policy with ideological blinkers. The recognition of the other, the identity and sovereignty of others are essential elements. So the most powerful driver of instability in Iraq is the feeling of illegitimacy towards the foreign presence. It is the founding stone of the crisis. If you do not fix that, you cannot fix the Iraqi crisis. It is the barrier we need to lift.

[BayCityProgressive]

1. Once again

the French are correct. Sad when the French "right-wingers" are more trustworthy and forthcoming than many of our Democrats.

[partylessinOhio]

2. Dominique de Villepin is so handsome and so spot on. Viva le France!