swissmiss- Basically what dude said was fairly, well...non aggressive, but the translator 'made him say' something completely different, and, well, aggressive. Does that scare anyone else?????
Shades of the book, "The Ugly American" a must read for everyone.
Now it is explained that France and Germany have HUGE financial interests in KEEPING Sadahm in power, or at LEAST keeping the status quo as far as oil is concerned. Plus, the govt. of Iraq-which of course translates into Sadahm- owes Germany something like 6 or 7 BILLION dollars! Is it just more rhetoric?
AMERICAN news sources ae implying that Germany and France's anti war stance is no so much a call for peace as a call for retaining the current balance of power where OIL (there it is again) is concerned. Plus, yes they do see us as too strong and know that a change in regeims would most likely favor the US position. No wonder they are balking. Still, Rumsfeld's comments were a far cry from diplomtic statement.
Intersting article from The Jordan Times dated Jan. 31 2001!
exerpts-from Spain's perspective. (Funny, that so many say we haven't given Iraq enough time.)
"We have always believed that the solution to the Iraqi problem had to be political," he said.
His one-day mission to Baghdad aimed to "listen to the Iraqis" and evaluate the deadlock caused by "Iraq's refusal to accept UN inspectors."
"In this context, there have been encouraging developments lately, as Iraq has accepted for the first time to talk to the UN to find a way out of the current impasse," the envoy said.
http://www.jordanembassyus.org/01312001001.htm