Aznar: dismisses counter-US defence group

by uncle henry Tue Apr 15, 2003 20:55

The task force will bring together leaders from business, former senior government officials and policy experts to issue a report that will address the rift.
Facing the greatest transatlantic rift in 50 years, US former Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger and former Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence H. Summers have been appointed by the US-based Council on Foreign Relations, (CFR) to co-chair a task force on a new American policy toward Europe.

"I can't imagine two more able people than Henry Kissinger and Larry Summers to take on this challenge", said Council President Leslie H. Gelb in a press release.

The task force will bring together leaders from business, former senior government officials and policy experts to issue a report that will address the rift. The group will also include a number of European experts.

The CFR is a non-partisan national membership organisation founded in 1921. The Council's mission is to increase America's understanding of the world and contribute ideas to US foreign policy.

Press Articles Financial Times

Press Release The Council on Foreign Relations Written by Lisbeth Kirk
Edited by Sharon Spiteri

by big bad wolf Tue Apr 15, 2003 20:57

Another tension in the US-EU relationships brought by Paul Wolfowitz's remarks on France (Photo: EUobserver.com)
Le Figaro reports that the US vice-secretary of state for defence, Paul Wolfowitz, explained last week to the American Senate that France will have to pay for its stance against the war in Iraq.

Mr Wolfowitz remembered France’s opposition within NATO to protect Turkey: "French behaviour has been very harmful for NATO". He said that the military cooperation with France is good, but that French politicians are troublemakers.

Yet France was not the only EU government which opposed plans for protection to be given to Turkey. Germany and Belgium also thought that such a step taken by NATO would imply a signal of support for the war that they were both against. France was however, central to the opposition that was finally lifted before the war in a Defence Planning Committee meeting, without French participation.

Political vengeance
The US concluded that it cannot exclude France from the long-term reconstruction of Iraq and cannot really boycott French companies on American soil as they employ thousands of Americans, Le Figaro claims. The vengeance will then have to be political and the US promises to give hard times to France in NATO.

Americans will count on the member states that share the same thinking in the Alliance but will probably deepen European disagreement on the matter. Le Figaro speculates on the attempt of the US to be even closer to the British and to the newly-joined member states, all eastern Europeans.

The secretary of state for defence Donald Rumsfeld played the eastern European card as well when he opposed the exhausted "old Europe" countries, including France and Germany, to the new democracies from the East that supported the war.

France not only disapproved of that approach but French President Jacques Chirac rebuked the Eastern countries, also future EU member states, for backing Washington in the war, accusing them of irresponsible behaviour.

Press Articles Le Figaro Written by Mihaela Gherghisan
Edited by Lisbeth Kirk

by Dick Dowling Tue Apr 15, 2003 22:01

I was glad to see the head of the Spanish Red Cross complaining about the poor response of people in Spain to an appeal for donations for Iraqi relief.
The fact is those whose who do the damage should pay to fix it, in so far as it can be fixed.

And that's why I also object to the Dublin government so casually promising Irish taxpayers' money for the same purpose.

by . Mon May 19, 2003 18:26

our net.