GERMANY: FRANCE AND GERMANY HAVE RESPONDED COOLLY TO A U.S. MOVE TO WIN A UNITED NATIONS MANDATE FOR A PEACEKEEPING FORCE FOR IRAQ

Record ID: 648375

  • Title: GERMANY: FRANCE AND GERMANY HAVE RESPONDED COOLLY TO A U.S. MOVE TO WIN A UNITED NATIONS MANDATE FOR A PEACEKEEPING FORCE FOR IRAQ
  • Date: 4th September 2003
  • Summary: (EU) DRESDEN, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 4, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR GERHARD SCHROEDER STOOD ON A PODIUM AT THE NEWS CONFERENCE 0.06 2. MCU (German) SCHROEDER SAYING: "We are of the opinion that, whatever your stance on the war and its justification, now it is about giving Iraq a perspective for stability and democracy, its about thinking about the future. Such a perspective can realistically only develop successfully if the United Nations take over responsibility for the political processes and especially if an Iraqi government can successfully be installed, which can be responsible for the functioning of Iraq. Naturally with help in training and so on for the leaders of the monopoly on the use of force." 0.56 3. CU OF CHIRAC 1.00 4. SV MEDIA 1.04 5. MCU (French) CHIRAC SAYING: "The German Chancellor and myself agree completely on the institutional development of Europe. We agree completely on the necessity of supporting the Italian Presidency in its legitimate actions, but also of supporting the proposition of a growth initiative, notably the German proposition, which we support completely, on all these subjects concerning the European construction. We are in complete agreement." 1.52 6. SV MEDIA 1.57 7. SV PULL IN MCU (German) SCHROEDER SAYING: "The infrastructure arrangement which was originally in the initiative of the Presidency is not enough. We have come together to the position of the French proposal that research and development, that which we decided in Lisbon, has to be part of the initiative. We are of the opinion that the Presidency will adopt this so that there are no problems." 2.36 8. PAN MEDIA 2.44 9. SV PULL IN MCU (German) SCHROEDER SAYING: "The draft resolution which has been announced shows that something has begun to move, I agree with the (French) President, that it is not dynamic or sufficient enough, and therefore it doesn't make sense to discuss details. Naturally we have to look at what has been put forward, the details of which we do not know, before we can answer questions. This will happen with close consultation between France and Germany." 3.16 10. PAN FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN LISTENING 3.22 11. CU SHADOW OF CHIRAC ON THE WALL PAN TO CHIRAC SMILING PULL OUT CHIRAC AND SCHROEDER LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE 3.35 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 19th September 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: DRESDEN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA95YUZV23J6QYE7MHKRBX37T4P
  • Story Text: France and Germany have responded coolly to a U.S.

    move to win a United Nations mandate for an international
    peacekeeping force in Iraq.



    France and Germany responded coolly on Thursday
    (Spetember 4) to a U.S. move to win a United Nations
    mandate for a peacekeeping force for Iraq, and the new
    Iraqi foreign minister said Turkish troops would be
    unwelcome.

    Facing almost daily casualties in Iraq, Washington has
    drafted a new U.N. resolution aimed at getting more
    countries to contribute soldiers and cash to its
    occupation. But it insists on full U.S. military control
    and a dominant political role.

    German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told a news
    conference with Chirac that the proposals showed movement
    in the U.S. position but did not go far enough. He said
    that while France and Germany opposed the U.S.-led war in
    Iraq, they now wanted to help bring stability and democracy
    to the country.

    "We are of the opinion that, whatever your stance on
    the war and its justification, now it is about giving Iraq
    a perspective for stability and democracy, its about
    thinking about the future," Schroeder said.

    The proposed U.N. resolution marked a policy reversal
    for the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush,
    which had resisted U.N. involvement after the Security
    Council's refusal to approve the war that toppled Iraqi
    leader Saddam Hussein.

    France, Russia, China and Germany were among nations on
    the Security Council which opposed the war.

    Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel welcomed the U.S.

    plan, but did not say if his country would provide troops.

    Wary of Iraqi hostility to the U.S.-led occupation,
    India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Turkey and other potential
    contributors have balked at sending troops without an
    international mandate.

    Germany and France also said on Thursday they were
    looking to expand an Italian plan to spur European Union
    growth, as Paris joined Berlin in announcing tax cuts that
    could further undermine EU budget deficit goals.

    Italy, which holds the EU's rotating presidency,
    proposed in June that the EU's financing arm, the European
    Investment Bank, should increase lending for infrastructure
    projects by 50 billion euros between 2003 and 2010 to boost
    growth in the bloc.

    "The German Chancellor and myself agree completely on
    the institutional development of Europe. We agree
    completely on the necessity of supporting the Italian
    Presidency in its legitimate actions, but also of
    supporting the proposition of a growth initiative," The
    French President Jacques Chirac said at the joint news
    conference.

    Schroeder also said that France and Germany supported
    the Italian initiative and that they had added their own
    ideas to extend it.

    "The infrastructure arrangement which was originally in
    the initiative of the Presidency is not enough. We have
    come together to the position of the French proposal that
    research and development, that which we decided in Lisbon,
    has to be part of the initiative," Schroeder said. Chirac
    said he agreed with Schroeder's comments on the issue.

    Italy's proposal for the EIB met a cool reception from
    EU leaders, who postponed taking any decisions until
    December.

    According to Handelsblatt newspaper, Berlin has
    presented Paris with a list of projects in Germany that it
    would like to see financed, including a new airport in the
    capital Berlin and a high speed magnetic levitation train
    in Munich.

    The two countries aim to present their final proposals
    to boost growth at their next bilateral talks due to be
    held in Potsdam near Berlin on September 18, the newspaper
    said.

    crb/jrc
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