France backs UN chief's description of US war on Iraq as "illegal"

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040917/wl_mideast_afp/un_iraq_annan_france&cid=1514&ncid=1480

PARIS (AFP) - France backed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (news - web sites)'s description of the US-led war on Iraq (news - web sites) as "illegal", with Foreign Minister Michel Barnier saying that long-held stance was why his country had opposed joining the conflict.


"You well know that what explains our country's disagreement with the way the war was carried out was that it clearly did not at that time abide by international law and there was not a clear request from the United States to start that action," he said Friday at a joint news conference with visiting New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff.


That was "traditionally" France's view from the start, he added.


"We have always considered that it's international law that constitutes the framework for any action, notably against terrorism or for stability in the world," he said.

more...They should know. They can still remember the last little Hitler.

[AlCzervik]

1. Not exactly a big surprise there.

[2Design]

2. Good this needs to come out

[truthspeaker]

3. Those wacky French. Remember how they said there was no WMD threat?

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. And they are saying this because it is true.

[huskerlaw]

9. Indeed...

I do believe they are saying the war is illegal because, well...it is. :think:

[2Design]

5. ratings are being freep - go to rating

[bemildred]

6. Freedom fries! Freedom fries! nt

[mom cat]

12. With Heinz Ketchup!

[2Design]

7. Interesting - USA says it was legal because Iraq didn't turn over WMD

But if they didn't have any - they could not turn them over

<snip>

The US government hit back by claiming it considered that a previous UN resolution passed four months before the conflict gave it sufficient authority to wage its action because Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) had refused to surrender suspected stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction.

<snip>

[TahitiNut]

8. Iraq was never required to "surrender" any WMD.

They were required to dispose of them. They have never been shown to have violated this requirment.

[The_Casual_Observer]

10. And if they had waited any longer, even that transparent pretext

would have evaporated.

[Zorra]

11. This is what has come to be known as "republican logic".

Other examples of republican logic are "War is peace" and "Freedom is slavery".

Republicans think about a problem and come up with an answer or solution that makes absolutely no logical sense.

[captainjack]

13. paris business review

i bet the Paris Business review is shaking in its boots that O'Reilly will declare another boycott against France. Maybe he'll throw in the UN for good measure.

[NNN0LHI]

14. The use it because they know it works on the mouth breathers so well n/t