Iraq like a 'black hole'
2004-05-13 20:28
Paris - Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, in an interview published on Thursday, compared Iraq to a "black hole that is sucking up" the world and said France would at no time send in troops.
Barnier, who travels to the United Nations on Friday for talks on Iraq, expressed alarm about "the spiral of horror" that is gaining ground and the loss of human dignity as violence progresses.
In an interview with the daily Le Monde, he made a "call to reason and conscience". He also stressed that Iraqis must be given authentic sovereignty after the transition of power June 30 from American to Iraqi hands.
"We must get out of this black hole that is sucking up the Middle East and, beyond that, the world" Barnier was quoted as saying.
"What shocks me is the spiral of horror, the blood, the inhumanity that we see now on all fronts, in Fallujah like in Gaza or through the terrible images of the assassination of this unfortunate American hostage.
"All of this gives the impression of a total loss of bearings" he added.
"What is in question on all sides is this fundamental value at the heart of all religions, all civilizations: human dignity".
Barnier said that it is "out of the question" that France send troops to Iraq.
"There will be no French soldiers in Iraq, not now and not later".
Pushing for Iraq conference
France, which opposed the US-led campaign that toppled Saddam Hussein, has refused to participate in the multinational force responsible for security in Iraq since the official end of the war.
The Security Council is struggling to come up with a resolution to endorse the June 30 transition of power to Iraqi hands.
Paris is pushing for an Iraqi conference, with the support of the United Nations and countries in the region, to help create the caretaker government. The convening of a conference should be contained in any UN resolution on the power transfer, though it would probably require persuading the Americans to go along, Barnier said.
Limited sovereignty will be restored to Iraqis on June 30, with a transitional government in power until a general election is held by the end of January 2005. France has insisted on a new leadership that puts genuine power into the hands of Iraqis, not Americans.
"The real question is whether they (the United States) are ready to accept responsibility for the deteriorating situation by accepting authentic Iraqi sovereignty" Barnier said. "The time has come for a bold initiative in order to get out of this Iraqi tragedy".
The government elected in 2005 should have the power to decide whether the multinational force stays or goes, Barnier said.
The interim government should have a say in security in addition to authority over Iraqi forces and be consulted on actions taken by coalition forces, he added.
- AP