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| France worried over rise in anti-Americanism |
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| bhaloo |
| 04/05/03 at 02:17:43 |
| [slm] http://english.aljazeera.net/topics/article.asp?cu_no=1&item_no=1741&version=1&template_id=279&parent_id=258 France worried over rise in anti-Americanism Concern is mounting among French officials following the publication of a poll in the daily Le Monde which showed that 33 percent wanted America and Britain to lose the Iraq war and 25 percent made clear they were on Baghdad's side. But 53 percent of them also hoped the United States and Britain would defeat President Saddam Hussein. The result of the Ipsos poll led politicians to warn opponents of war not to protest more strongly against Washington than Baghdad. Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin called on the French not to forget the United States is an ally of long standing while the Iraqi leader is a dictator. His spokesman Jean-Francois Cope on Wednesday issued the government's third clarifying statement in as many days, insisting Paris wanted to see the Iraqi leader defeated. France's stand favouring war as the final option has badly strained relations with Washington. "Just because we're against this war doesn't mean we want dictatorship to defeat democracy," Raffarin said on Monday to kick off the series of public statements. "We are in the democratic camp. The Americans are not enemies." France has been in a difficult position. It is leading countries in the anti-war camp, whether by desire or default and at the same time trying not to burn bridges with a superpower ally it will have to work with after the war. Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin added to the confusion in London last week when, after giving a speech on France's position, he declined to answer directly a question about whether Paris backed Washington or Baghdad. His spokesman later said Paris was outraged to see British media attacking Villepin's answer as ambiguous, saying it was clear France wanted the United States and Britain to win. -- Al Jazeera with agencies |
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