France Wants Quicker Shift of Power in Iraq

[kskiska]

Minister Faults Length of U.S. Timetable

PARIS, Nov. 13 -- The foreign minister of France, which led opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq at the United Nations, said Thursday that the latest violence in Iraq showed that ending the U.S. occupation and transferring power to Iraqis quickly would be the best way to stem guerrilla attacks.

With the Bush administration now promoting an accelerated transfer of power, the American and French positions appear to be converging. But Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said the suggested timetable for a transfer was still too long and that more intensive consultations were needed with Washington before the two sides could mend their differences.

"By summer 2004 -- that is much too late," De Villepin said this morning in a radio interview. "How many deaths must we count before we realize that we must change the approach?"

(snip)

De Villepin said he was concerned about a "spiral of violence" in Iraq, with the current American insistence that security should come before a full-fledged political transition engendering "a stronger resistance." "We want to avoid that spiral -- thus, politics first," he said.

"A political approach, not just a military approach," he said. "There is no military solution against terrorism. You need to have a political strategy."

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38199-2003Nov13.html

[bloom]

1. So do I

[Hieronymus]

2. Yes, the US and French

positions appear to me converging. Hell, Bush is admitting the French were right from the start.:freak:

[0007]

3. ....and the U.S. would be wise to take Ahmed Chalabi with 'em...

when they leave.