With Russia angry about America’s proposed missile shield and NATO in need of the Kremlin’s help in Afghanistan, will the NATO Alliance agree to admit the Ukraine and Georgia at the annual NATO Summit this week? According to Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza, NATO membership for these former Russian satellites depends on how hard President Bush wants to push the reluctant nations of old Europe, who question the wisdom of angering President Putin at this moment of global high-tension.
Jacek Pawlicki writes for Gazeta, “Diplomatic sources told Gazeta yesterday that U.S. pressure had been so strong that Germany had begun to hesitate. It’s possible Berlin will make its final position conditional on France’s stance. If Paris doesn’t say no, neither will Berlin.”
By Jacek Pawlicki
Translated By Marcin Wawrzy?czak
April 1, 2008
Poland - Gazeta Wyborcza - Original Article (Polish)
The chance that NATO will open its door to Ukraine and Georgia remains, although the door is unlikely to be opened as wide as Poland would like. At least not just yet.
What NATO offers Ukraine and Georgia at its Bucharest summit, which begins tomorrow, will be decided by the Alliance’s leaders at the last moment. As Gazeta has learned, in the communiqué now being prepared, the section concerning NATO’s future relationship with Kiev and Tbilisi has been left blank. Read the rest of this entry »
LONG-STANDING rumours that the former French president Jacques Chirac holds a secret multi-million-euro bank account in Japan appear to have been confirmed by files seized from the home of a senior spy.
Papers seized by two investigating magistrates from General Philippe Rondot, a former head of the DGSE, France’s intelligence service, show Mr Chirac opened an account in the mid-1990s at Tokyo Sowa Bank, credited with the equivalent of £30 million. It is not known where the money came from, nor whether it is connected to various kick-back scandals to which Mr Chirac’s name has been linked over the past decade.
Last year, Mr Chirac “categorically denied” having a bank account in Japan.
The seized documents have been described by the magistrates as “explosive” and are believed to contain copies of the former president’s bank statements.
Umh. Small change? Piggy bank? Wasn’t me? How did that get there? It’s my wife’s money? I sold (out) my cars, houses, country? I found it and wanted to give it back to the rightful owner? The spy set me up? Conspiracy? Saddam gave it to me?
It will be interesting to see whether Sarkozy will let Chirac off the hook or not, considering “Chirac is reported to have struck a deal with Mr Sarkozy, whereby the latter will push through judicial reforms ensuring the ex-president escapes prosecution.” One problem for Chirac: “the magistrates are expected to move before the reforms are passed this summer.”
