Europe puts its foot down
January 25, 2003 - The Montreal Gazette
PARIS – Part of Europe did something this week that it doesn’t usually do: It put its foot down. First with protests, then with a two-pronged diplomatic attack, Europe gave a loud “No” to the threat of quickly plunging into war against Iraq before the United States says, “Yes.”
At the centre of the storm is France, a country better known for its political fence straddling. Last weekend, tens of thousands took to the streets of France, as well as across Europe and North America in protest against the threat of war in Iraq.
Genevieve Brame, Normandy-based author of Chez Vous en France - Living and Working in France, explained the push for diplomacy: “So many people have died for us. In French soil, sometimes there is more death than dirt. We’ve learned the hard way to want to do everything possible before war happens.”
On Monday, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin pulled what the Washington Post called a “diplomatic version of an ambush” in a UN Security Council meeting on terrorism by threatening a French veto if the council debated a war on Iraq.
If the United States circumnavigates the Security Council and leads a small group of countries into war, it will be “a victory for the law of the strongest,” de Villepin said.
Caught off guard, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell’s replies seemed to question the virility of those who disagreed with U.S. policy.
“Non” and “Nein” were the words of the day from Wednesday’s joint statement issued by French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder at the Palace of Versailles. Schroeder was in France to commemorate the anniversary of the Elysee treaty commemorating 40 years of French-German friendship.
“War is not inevitable. ... France and Germany have the same point of view on the crisis,” said Chirac at the meeting where the two leaders heavily emphasized the overall unity between the two countries.
Their comments prompted U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to refer to France and Germany as “problems” and “old Europe,” comments that went over like a lead balloon in the irate upper ranks of French government on Thursday. Chirac, however, appealed for calm.
Though struggling with major reforms in his homeland, Chirac has the kind of strong support from across the French political spectrum that he has not seen since he faced far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen in the final round of May’s elections.
A poll in Thursday’s Paris-Match magazine by French group, BVA, gives Chirac a 61-per-cent approval rating on his handling of the crisis. The same poll found only 13 per cent of France wanting to support U.S. political aims (a six-point drop since September) and 24 per cent wanting France to politically oppose the United States.
“The French saw the last Gulf War as legitimate and well-justified, but this time the American arguments aren’t convincing the French - they’re suspicious of America’s motives,” said Jerome Sainte-Marie, director of polling for BVA.
In Holland, though parliamentary elections focused primarily on national issues, one of the first comments from Wouter Bos, whose Labour Party moved into second place, was that they would “work to avoid war against Iraq.”
Geraldine Lorijn, a half-Spanish, half-Dutch graphic designer living in Holland, said she sees oil as the hidden agenda. “It sounds much more heroic to say that you’re fighting the forces of evil. However, Hussein is a dangerous and sly person and Iraq could be better off without him.”
Explaining European reluctance, Lorijn said, “They don’t want to go to war because they have too much to risk. They need the oil to sustain themselves, whereas the U.S. has other oil sources.”
No matter which side their politicians fall on, many Europeans feel they’re not getting the whole truth.
Englishman Peter Hawkins, the CEO of a small business group based in London and Glasgow, said, “I think there’s a triple strategy between security, economic issues and the balance of power. However, explaining this to the general public would be too complex.”
Hawkins described Europeans as inherently “war aware.”
Referring to some countries’ desire to explore all diplomatic options, he said, “We know the human burden caused and are against rushing in without carefully examining all of the options and consequences.”
Roberta Milanaccio, a communications agent in Milan, Italy, considered the old Europe/New World differences, “I don’t think they [the German and French governments] are carried by noble thoughts about the peace between the peoples.
“Europe mirrors more than the wishes of European governments, though, it houses the sensitivities and the experience of the European people - people that have not forgotten the last Great War, because they lived in the battlefield.”
