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France/US/Iraq
Interview given by Dominique de Villepin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to CNN, with Paula Zahn
Paris, November 13, 2003
PAULA ZAHN: You remember that, the war in Iraq creating quite a rift in relations between the U.S. and France. For Americans, France fell out of favor. For the French, President Bush became the ugly American. But are both sides ready to bury the hatchet?
Well, in an exclusive interview earlier today, I asked French Foreign Affairs Minister Dominique de Villepin how the French can view the U.S. with both admiration and repulsion. FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER DOMINIQUE DE VILLEPIN: I believe that the feeling of the French for the U.S. has always been a feeling of very strong friendship. We've gone through difficult times, of course, during the last months. But we all feel that it is necessary for all of us to find the right solution. ZAHN: You have to concede, though, sir, that there have been some pretty nasty things said about Americans in the French press, which we have come to understand as a reflection of how many French people feel about Americans.
DE VILLEPIN: Well, I must say that the dominant thing during the last month has been the restraint of the French authorities during all these difficult times. You would not find one word coming from President Chirac or myself at any moment criticizing and being -- openly criticizing the administration, because what we want is not criticism. We don't think that anything is going to come out of criticism. What we want is solution. ZAHN: Sir, the conciliatory language you're using today is strikingly different than the language we heard in the run-up to the war. Do you regret any of the things French officials had to say about America during that heated period of debate?
DE VILLEPIN: I don't think that at any moment French position has been aimed by a willingness to complicate or to oppose the United States. Our position has been consistently to answer to the question, how can we solve the Iraqi crisis? How can we solve the different crises of the world? ZAHN: Does that mean the French government is willing to offer French troops to get involved in Iraq and more French investment?
DE VILLEPIN: I really want to point out this fact. Don't believe that you are going to solve Iraq because you are going to send more troops or more money. You have to face the facts that, in the world of today, the problems cannot be solved uniquely, only by money and troops. You need to take into account the identity of these people, the respect of culture and religion of these people. We are ready to help, cooperate with the Iraqis to help cooperate on the formation of the police and of the army. But, first, we need to have the Iraqis deciding by themselves what they want. ZAHN: Sir, I hear what you're saying, but you still didn't answer the question about whether France is willing to commit troops at a time when Japan was expected to send troops to Iraq, and now they have said they will not.
DE VILLEPIN: But I'm telling you, I am telling you very clearly that before you answer this question, you have to ask the Iraqis what they want. You have to ask them what conception they have of security. Do they want more troops at the borders? Is it needed to have troops inside of the territory? Is it the solution to have troops that cannot go out of their different fortresses because the security is not satisfactory? The key is answering the political question first. ZAHN: And a key question that's being asked is whether the Iraqi Governing Council is up to the task. A lot of Iraqis themselves are saying it's inept; it's dysfunctional. How much faith do you have in the Iraqi Governing Council?
DE VILLEPIN: No, I don't believe that. You see, all the experience, the historical experience of decolonization has been always the same. There's always the occupying country saying that the country is not ready, that we need time, we need to have different people to run the country. This is not the way we should answer, facing the situation and spiral of violence. ZAHN: Your hope is, this provisional government is put in place by the end of the year. If that happens, when will Iraq be safe, not only for the foreign troops stationed there, but for Iraqis as well?
DE VILLEPIN: Well, it is a process. If you are going to engage a political process, if you are going to recognize the sovereignty of the Iraqis, then you have a chance that the Iraqis themselves that do know better their country than we know it. If we are going to be as active in Iraq as we should be in the peace process, if we are going to deal with the whole regional problems, then we might create the dynamic that is needed in order to solve the problem of this region. ZAHN: Former minister, Mr. de Villepin, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it. DE VILLEPIN: Thank you. Embassy of France in the United States - November 14, 2003
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