‘The Russian President Dictates His Peace to Hapless Europe:’ From France’s Liberation
Perhaps better than anything we’ve seen so far, this French news item, which discusses the peace plan negotiated by Nicolas Sarkozy with the Russians, sums up the impotence of the West in confronting Russia’s shock onslaught against Georgia.
In outlining the exasperation of French leaders – both over the hand they’ve been dealt as holders of the E.U. presidency, Lorraine Millot writes for the newspaper Liberation:
“Before Sarkozy arrived in Moscow yesterday, Medvedev declared that the French President would always be able to say that he obtained from Moscow a halt in the bombing of Georgia.
To see the look of seriousness on Sarkozy’s face, it appeared, however, that the French president was aware of having swallowed a substantial Russian snake.”
“Asked about the pressure that Europeans could exert on Moscow, Bernard Kouchner was climbing the walls yesterday, accusing journalists of asking only “aggressive” questions. “What would you do? Send Clémenceau? Send the gas back to Russia?,” retorted the French diplomat, for the most part at a loss to outline what kind of European response could make Russia understand that bombing and occupying a neighboring states isn’t acceptable.”
By Moscow Correspondent Lorraine Millot
Translated By Sandrine Ageorges
August 13, 2008
France – Liberation – Original Article (French)
Nicolas Sarkozy has spared no effort. Yesterday evening he was in Tbilisi to convince the Georgian president, Mikhaïl Saakachvili, to accept the “peace plan” negotiated earlier in the day in Moscow. For nearly five hours yesterday [Tuesday], the E.U. President [Sarkozy] negotiated tirelessly with Dimitri Medvedev and Vladimir Putin, and finally emerged with a particularly daring project: it provides for the withdrawal Russia’s intervention troops from Georgia, but leaves aside – at least for the moment – the hitherto sacrosanct principle of the territorial integrity of Georgia. Essentially, the war could end, but Georgia would no longer be entitled to recover its provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
This is the first time that the principle of Georgian territorial integrity has disappeared from the draft of a settlement of an international conflict. Six principles were accepted by the two heads of state: the non- use of force; the definitive cessation of hostilities; access to humanitarian assistance; the return of Georgian forces to their previous barracks; the Russian withdrawal and the “opening of international discussions on the future status” of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
“We’ll be scolded by everyone,” predicted Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner as he emerged from talks at the Kremlin. Kouchner, leaving straight away for Tbilisi with Sarkozy, will now have to convince not only Georgia, but the twenty six other European Union countries that this compromise is not a new Munich that merely validates Russia’s fait accompli.
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, along with continuing translated and untranslated foreign press coverage of the unfolding crisis in the Caucasus.
5 Responses to “‘The Russian President Dictates His Peace to Hapless Europe:’ From France’s Liberation”
“What would you do? Send Clémenceau? Send the gas back to Russia?
Whining and crying over the events in Georgia just serves to highlight how important it is for oil and gas exploration to go forward.
Unless and unitl something is found that can replace oil and gas that will propel fighter aircraft, tanks and modern battle field equiptment then it is very important to realize how important oil and gas is to the entire world.
Russia is laughing its way thru this entire episode and making a mockery of the wests impotence. Even more then the US is Europe a whore and a slut to the oil and gas coming from Russia and Iran.
How sad for the world.
And didn't the French-designed ceasefire agreement give Russia the right still to intervene where it saw the “need” in Georgia (not limited to the two provinces that are the main object of the news)? Didn't that Agreement (oooo, on paper!) contain a huge loophole as a concession to or an appeasement of Russia?
[...] ‘The Russian President Dictates His Peace to Hapless Europe:’ From … [...]
[...] Mikki Halpin wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptSend the gas back to Russia?,” retorted the French diplomat, for the most part at a loss to outline what kind of European response could make Russia understand that bombing and occupying a neighboring states isn’t acceptable.” … [...]
The EU-nuchs are simply shrunken from their former position of world supremacy to a vestigial collection of second-tier powers on the western end of the Eurasian landmass. Liberation is ironically a Communist newspaper—it goes to show how even the French left despises Russian aggression.
Bernard Kouchner has been reduced to saliva-flecked convulsions in his dealings with the press. Russia grabbed and the EU-nuchs gave them Abkhazia & S. Ossetia, & parts of Georgia, it seems.