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December 14, 2003
Sunday
 
 
"Zut alors!"
Antoine Clarke (London)  French affairs • Middle East & Islamic
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French reaction to Saddam's capture is varied. The media call it a great victory for the US, the politicians are finding it harder to make up their minds what to say and public comment ranges from when will the US come and take Chirac? to No, they can't have captured him, it's impossible!.

Coming after the setback over the EU constitution - it will be harder to push through when the other countries join - this is a rotten weekend for Saddam's pen-pal Jacques Chirac. If the Iraqis stick him on trial, will we hear all about the attempt to sell nuclear technology in the 1970s by a former French prime minister? Now what was his name?

Comments

French TV is enjoined with supporting the government of the day. One news broadcast led with the anchor reporting, "Just nine months before the American election ..." blah blah blah. Like the story was the run-up to the election, not the brilliant tracking and capturing. On another channel, the female anchor asked the station's DC correspondent, posed against the White House, one normal question then dove right in with a sneer, asking what effect this would have on the president's reelection chances.

Well, the French have never made a religion of being good sports or taking pleasure in anyone else's success.

Inexplicably, one news programme devoted a whole segment - perhaps two minutes of airtime - to Saddam's collection of chapeaux - the panamas, the boaters, the berets and all his different stylish headgear. Weird.


Posted by Verity at December 15, 2003 09:38 AM

Another very stupid post... about 80% of French were happy of the capture of Saddam, but they were not so happy about the thousands innocents iraqish people killed by the US-UK invaders to put him under arrest...
The war was made to conqueer Irakish Oil and because Saddam which was an occidental (USA-UK-France) friend in the 80's, has become not so friend...


Posted by Jean-Pierre at October 27, 2005 08:06 PM
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