Sarkozy mulled troops for Iraq: WikiLeaks

[sabra]

Source: AFP

French president Nicolas Sarkozy convinced the US he was the most pro-American French leader since the war and even discussed sending French troops to Iraq, leaked cables showed.

The French daily Le Monde, citing a trove of stolen diplomatic cables given to it by the activist website WikiLeaks, said Mr Sarkozy wooed US diplomats in Paris long before taking office in 2007 and convinced them he was a firm ally.

"Sarkozy is the French politician who most supports the role of the United States in the world," the US embassy in Paris wrote in a 2006 portrait of the right-wing minister, shortly before he announced his presidential run.

"His nickname is Sarkozy the American and his affinity for America is authentic and comes from the bottom of his heart," the memo said, predicting an end to the tense relations under the outgoing president, Jacques Chirac.

...

"Sarkozy declared that France and the international community would have to help the United States resolve the situation in Iraq. Perhaps by replacing the American army with an international force," he wrote.

Read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/12/02/3082150.htm?section=justin