France and Germany Draw a Line, Against Washington 

JOHN TAGLIABUE / NY Times 23jan03

[Below: Rumsfeld's Remarks Draw Anger in France AP 23jan03]

PARIS, Jan. 22 — In a blunt rejection of American impatience toward Baghdad, the leaders of France and Germany said today during ceremonies marking the 40th anniversary of a French-German cooperation treaty that they shared common views on Iraq, and that any Security Council resolution for military action would have to await the report of weapons inspectors.

President Jacques Chirac of France said that "war is always the admission of defeat, and is always the worst of solutions."

"And hence everything must be done to avoid it," he said, adding, "France and Germany have a judgment on this crisis that is the same."

Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of Germany, appearing with Mr. Chirac at a news conference, said, "We both want a peaceful solution to the crisis in Iraq, and we will work toward that in close cooperation." On Tuesday, Mr. Schröder expressed his most forceful rejection yet of military action.

The words took on particular weight, since France and Germany hold the Security Council presidency this month and next.

The leaders were speaking at daylong ceremonies in the French capital and at nearby Versailles recalling the signing in 1963 of the Élysée Treaty, which was meant to set the agenda for new stages of European integration.

A list of areas in which both countries seek closer cooperation that was published today contained a pledge that they would "be attentive to adopt common positions in international bodies, including the Security Council."

On Tuesday, the French foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin, said France would seek the agreement of other European countries, including Britain, to oppose American pressure for military action before there was a clear signal from the weapons inspectors and agreement by the Security Council. France plans to act at a European Union ministers' meeting Monday and Tuesday that coincides with a report to the Security Council on Monday from the chief weapons inspectors.

Mr. de Villepin has refused to rule out the possibility that France, as a permanent member of the Security Council, will use its veto if the United States presses for a United Nations resolution authorizing war.

But the statements of unity by Mr. Chirac and Mr. Schröder vividly illustrated the lack of unity among European states. Britain announced on Monday that it was preparing almost 30,000 troops for action in Iraq. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Tony Blair, appearing to side with Washington, stated that fresh intelligence indicated that the intensified preparations for military action in the Persian Gulf was undermining the rule of Saddam Hussein.

The show of unity by France and Germany appeared to reflect the determination of the French — who hold the Council presidency this month — to prevent the Bush administration from forcing the issue of Iraqi compliance in the Council later this month. Mr. Chirac said that "as regards this common position," France and Germany — as the Council president in February — were "entirely coordinated and in permanent contact every day."

Late Tuesday, Mr. Schröder made his most resolute statement to date against any resolution for war. At an election rally of his Social Democratic Party in the German city of Goslar, Mr. Schröder said, "I have told, in particular, our French friends, but others as well, and I am going a step further in what I say here and now: do not reckon with Germany approving a resolution authorizing war. Do not reckon with that."

In his remarks today, Mr. Chirac did not go that far. But he said the common view of Paris and Berlin was "grounded in two ideas: the first is that any decision belongs to the Security Council, and to it alone, expressing itself after having heard the report of the inspectors in conformity with the pertinent resolutions approved by the Council." The second, he said, was that "war is always the admission of defeat, and is always the worst of solutions. And hence everything must be done to avoid it." 

Mr. Schröder, asked whether he had anything to add, replied with one word, "No."

Opinion polls across Europe indicate that opposition to the use of force against Iraq is widespread. Antiwar demonstrators have taken to the streets repeatedly in numerous European cities, with marchers silently or loudly objecting to America's threats to use its military might against Baghdad.

TIME polled European readers (right). It asks:
"Which country really poses the greatest
danger to world peace in 2003?
source: Time magazine 23jan03

The two leaders gave their views during a day of ceremonies intended to reassure each other, as well as their European partners, that their countries still see their destinies as intertwined. Early in 1963, President Charles de Gaulle and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer met in Élysée Palace to sign a treaty that Mr. de Gaulle predicted would gradually end "centuries of rivalry."

During much of the cold war, while West Germany served as the motor of European economic growth, it bowed to the political leadership of France. With German unification, Paris at first harbored concern over possible German domination.

But in recent years, Germany has been struggling to overhaul its inflexible economy, while the French have better mastered the challenge of globalization and all but replaced the Germans as the engines of European growth. Now, the addition of 10 additional members to the European Union and the discussions taking place in Brussels to create a kind of constitution for the enlarged union are putting renewed strains on French-German understanding.

For the French, the confrontation with Iraq appears to afford Paris the opportunity to revive a strong French-German bond as the basis for a more vigorously assertive European foreign policy. With the question of Iraq welding the ties between Washington and London even more closely, the French appear to have a sense of urgency.

"Passing from 15 to 25 members, the European Union is not only in danger of being diluted into a free trade zone," Charles Lambroschini, chief editorialist of Le Figaro, wrote today, "it risks being transformed into a simple protectorate of the United States."

Rumsfeld's Remarks Draw Anger in France

AP 23jan03

PARIS -- French leaders reacted angrily Thursday to U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's dismissal of France and Germany as the "old Europe," saying the comments underscore America's arrogance.

Finance Minister Francis Mer said he was "profoundly vexed" by the remarks.

"I wanted to remind everyone that this 'old Europe' has resilience, and is capable of bouncing back," Mer told LCI television. "And it will show it, in time."

"If you knew what I feel like telling him, to Mr. Rumsfeld ... " said Ecology Minister Roselyne Bachelot on Europe-1 radio. She then stopped herself and said the word would be too offensive to publish.

Martine Aubry, a Socialist leader and influential former labor minister, said Rumsfeld's comments "show once again a certain arrogance of the United States."

Washington "continues to want to alone govern the world and more and more without rules," she told RTL radio.

Rumsfeld made the remarks at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday after the leaders of France and Germany agreed to counter U.S. threats of war against Iraq by committing together to give peace a chance.

The decision from the two European powerhouses led NATO to postpone its planning for a possible war in Iraq.

Rumsfeld downplayed France and Germany's reluctance, saying he was confident that other NATO members would come together behind the United States.

"Germany has been a problem and France has been a problem ... but you look at vast numbers of other countries in Europe, they're not with France and Germany on this. They're with the United States," he said.

In responding to a reporter's question about French and German qualms, Rumsfeld hinted the United States would turn to new NATO members in Eastern Europe for support.

"You're thinking of Europe as Germany and France. I don't," he said. "I think that's old Europe. If you look at the entire NATO Europe today, the center of gravity is shifting to the east and there are a lot of new members."

Washington's European allies are deeply divided over the possibility of war, with the French and Germans opposing any rush toward military action while the United States and Britain intensify their military buildup on Iraq's borders.

The Bush administration accuses Iraq of stockpiling weapons of mass destruction.

Russia and China have also expressed reservations about going to war against Iraq. On Thursday, China said it supports French efforts to find a peaceful solution, underlining the challenge the United States would face if it seeks U.N. Security Council support for military action.

"We have always stood for a diplomatic and political resolution of the Iraqi issue," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue.