Eva Cahen, CNSNews.com
Wednesday, March 19, 2003

President Jacques Chirac said in a television statement that an American-led war with Iraq was unjustified, but at the same time, the French ambassador to Washington, Jean-David Levitte, said Tuesday that France's position would change if Iraq used chemical or biological weapons.

A foreign ministry source commented today that the question was hypothetical and theoretical, "but it meant that France would help the victims if banned weapons were used. That assistance would have to be evaluated at the time," the source said. "If biological or chemical weapons are used in Iraq, the victims would have to be helped in Iraq."

Germany Still Refuses to Help Against Saddam's Chemicals

The French stance differs from that of Germany, which said that its chemical detection units posted in the region would be unavailable to assist U.S. forces inside Iraq.

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin was joined by his Russian and German counterparts in an 11th-hour meeting at the United Nations today to discuss help for war victims and to evaluate reports from weapons inspectors.

With the failure of France's efforts to avoid a war, many French consider themselves targeted as scapegoats because they led the opposition to the use of force.

An editorial in the Liberation daily newspaper today talked about "Bushblair" trying to "start a new Cold War where Paris would replace Moscow."

Addressing the National Assembly on Tuesday, Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin defended French-American relations.

"It is not because we don't want to participate in this war that we are at war with the United States," he said.

Although recent polls have shown that up to 90 percent of the French population supports Chirac's position, France is feeling the sting of critical remarks from Washington and London and is worried about its future relations with these long-standing allies.

As with speculations on the use of banned weapons by Iraq, others wonder if it might not be Washington that is right and France that is wrong.

'We Would Look Really Stupid'

Liberation reported that Dominique Dord, a deputy from the majority UMP party, said during Tuesday's assembly debate, "We would look really stupid if Iraqis applaud the arrival of Americans."

Chirac today instructed his ministers to be "fully mobilized, attentive and vigilant" because of the Iraqi situation. Like many other countries, France has increased security measures.

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'Poisonous' France Lashes Out at Britain

Meanwhile, United Press International reported today:

After being ridiculed in the media and denounced from London to Los Angeles for its anti-war stance, French diplomatic patience ran out today as Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin took his British counterpart to task.

During a morning telephone call, de Villepin told British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw that Paris was "shocked and pained" by the less-than-kind words toward France by British lawmakers recently.

"These proposals aren't dignified for a country that is a friend and a European partner," a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said during a news briefing as he reported the conversation by the two foreign affairs chiefs. "This presentation of facts does not conform to reality and fools nobody."

The French-bashing by British lawmakers has been replicated by other government officials as well.

Last week, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair dubbed France's position at the U.N. Security Council "poisonous."

In an interview with Britain's Guardian newspaper, Straw described as "extraordinary" Chirac's threat to veto a war resolution on Iraq "whatever the circumstances."

Not included in Straw's assessment, however, was a key addition by the French president regarding his opposition to a military solution toward Baghdad.

"At this moment," Chirac added during a television interview last week, suggesting the French position might change with the fast-moving events.

Meanwhile, the London-based correspondent of France's Le Monde newspaper reported attending a background interview with a British official who used the word "extreme" and "extremist" no less than 10 times to describe Paris' unbending support of its business and military ally Saddam.

This is hardly the first cross-Channel spat in recent months. Chirac last winter told Blair he was "badly brought up" after the British prime minister exploded on the news of a French-German backroom deal on EU agricultural subsidies.

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