PERHAPS! PERHAPS SOMEONE CAN CLUE M. LE MINISTRE
Oh, Just Give Iran A Damn Bomb And Be Done With It!

FRANCE 'MAKES VOICE HEARD' IN LEBANON ROLE
AND EYES DIPLOMACY WITH IRAN, SUDAN

PARIS September 7, 2006 (IHT/AP) - "Once again, France has stepped up in a crisis [scil., Lebanon]," Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin told parliament, where a wide spectrum of lawmakers supports aid for Lebanon. "It has taken its responsibilities, it has known how to make its voice heard."

Others are less admiring of the French than, well, the French. Our real story is the new French deconstruction of Iran's ongoing enrichment.

As for Iran, [French Foreign Minister Philippe] Douste-Blazy* appeared to raise the prospect that Europe's longtime demand that Tehran halt uranium enrichment before agreeing to talks on its nuclear program wasn't written in stone.** "The question is to know at what moment this suspension takes place compared to negotiations," he said. "It's a major question ... which will perhaps reveal its importance in the weeks to come."

We, very much like the by now confused Iranians, here learn the halt to enrichment was carved in soap not stone. We, again very much like the confused Iranians, thought that the importance of the halt had been detailed in UNSCR 1696.

France continues to change her story -- her threats, her valentines, her foot stampings, her schmooze-ups, her pleas, her deadlines -- so as to claim a diplomatic victory when Iran eventually announces it has stores of weaponized uranium. In all of this the Iranians have stuck with a story that they've made plainly understood.

Douste-Blazy called for a "gradual approach" in dealing with Iran, and insisted that hope was not lost in trying to return to the bargaining table. "Before saying that you have to try everything," he said.

And as France peels away from the American-led consensus that Iran stop enrichment now, M. le Ministre disingenuously reminds all to stick together.

The minister stressed that unanimity on the Iran issue was crucial in the international community — including with Russia and China, which have been hesitant to call for tough action on Tehran.

Back on July 6, 2004, we concluded France had already made a decision to accept a nuclear-armed Iran:

But France can also be accomodating. For instance, the apparent warning below is for a threat that does not yet materially exist, i.e., Iran going nuclear:

France could use its nuclear capability to defend its neighbours, French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie*** said in an interview Monday, while also urging European Union states to increase military spending.

She said ethnic conflict and terrorism were making the world increasingly more unstable...that rogue states "could one day point their missiles toward France and its neighbours. We could say to those countries: 'Watch out, if you try to carry out your threats we will destroy you before you know what's hit you.'"

That's pretty fancy talk when France insists America act like the Duke of Sung. Imagine for a moment were Donald Rumsfeld to talk so loosely about pre-emptively -- as Mdm. Alliot-Marie here suggests -- flinging around a few nukes, imagine the placid French reaction.

But this is no warning. What France is up to here is signaling that she has decided Europe can live with a nuclear Iran -- taking some of the polish off Israel, America's staunch ally -- oh, but don't point those missles at anything near France.

* The dimmest bulb in the dark Chirac marquee™.

*** Former dimmest bulb in the dark Chirac marquee™.

PFFT (What is this?): Changing the story 4 | French tough talk 0 | Confuse-a-cat diplomacy 5 | Rayonnement français 0