French call for stronger EU to keep America in check
By Ambrose Evans Pritchard and Toby Helm in Brussels
(Filed: 05/11/2004)
Tony Blair's hopes of healing the rift between Europe and America after the re-election of President George W Bush were quickly dashed yesterday, as France led calls for a rival European superpower to confront Washington.
Reacting to Mr Bush's victory, Michel Barnier, the French foreign minister, said four more years of a unilateralist administration in Washington required Europe to develop its own diplomatic and defence machinery.
"Our world needs several powers. We are in the process of gathering the pieces and the will to become another power," he said.
President Jacques Chirac heightened the tension by announcing that he would skip a lunch today with the Iraqi prime minister, Iyad Allawi, intended to bestow increased legitimacy on the Baghdad government in the build-up to elections early next year - ostensibly because of a funeral in the Gulf.
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Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the leader of the Greens in the European Parliament, said Mr Bush's victory made "Europe's role as a counterweight to the US ever more important".
Following confirmation of the US election result Goran Persson, the Swedish prime minister said it was inevitable that European politicians would continue to criticise Mr Bush.
"But I do not believe he will more willing to listen," he said.
More ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai...05.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/11/05/ixnewstop.html
Yes! That's fuckin' good news! I need them to stop the Chimp from his madness wars if need.
By Ambrose Evans Pritchard and Toby Helm in Brussels
(Filed: 05/11/2004)
Tony Blair's hopes of healing the rift between Europe and America after the re-election of President George W Bush were quickly dashed yesterday, as France led calls for a rival European superpower to confront Washington.
Reacting to Mr Bush's victory, Michel Barnier, the French foreign minister, said four more years of a unilateralist administration in Washington required Europe to develop its own diplomatic and defence machinery.
"Our world needs several powers. We are in the process of gathering the pieces and the will to become another power," he said.
President Jacques Chirac heightened the tension by announcing that he would skip a lunch today with the Iraqi prime minister, Iyad Allawi, intended to bestow increased legitimacy on the Baghdad government in the build-up to elections early next year - ostensibly because of a funeral in the Gulf.
---
Daniel Cohn-Bendit, the leader of the Greens in the European Parliament, said Mr Bush's victory made "Europe's role as a counterweight to the US ever more important".
Following confirmation of the US election result Goran Persson, the Swedish prime minister said it was inevitable that European politicians would continue to criticise Mr Bush.
"But I do not believe he will more willing to listen," he said.
More ... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai...05.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/11/05/ixnewstop.html
Yes! That's fuckin' good news! I need them to stop the Chimp from his madness wars if need.
