The French position is simple

[malaise]

They are not sending their troops until there is a cease fire and the Zionists won't stop bombing until there is an international force.

Funny to hear the Americans say the French are being difficult - it is their sons. The US wants to drag France into their ME war. Note that the Americans refuse to send a single force. France will not take orders from the US. The French are correct. This is Bushco trying to give orders to France. Fugg Bushco. Cease Fire Now.
Nice discussion on BBC International.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5244572.stm

Meanwhile this couple in Beirut, are having to live in the open because there is no room for them anywhere


add pix.sp.

[knowbody0]

1. the lessons of Algiers rendered the French intelligent

about "occupying" nations. we learned nothing in Vietnam.

[Selatius]

2. The French had to learn it several times

They were defeated as well trying to reclaim their colonial possession of Indochina, a place America would find failure in as well.

[knowbody0]

6. yep. but i believe they have evolved

from their mistakes.

[malaise]

8. I swear for none of them

but they appear to have learnt a bit more than the US and Britain.

[spanone]

3. a classic Catch-22.

[malaise]

5. Bingo n/t

[mom cat]

13. And a mean foot dragging maneuver to delay the ceasefire!

[The Deacon]

4. Uh-oh

Does this mean the return of "Freedom Fries" and "Freedom Toast"?

[malaise]

7. Not really

the French already know they won round one re Iraq since their position was correct and the Neo-cons are trying to fight back despite their real weakness in international circles. What a fugging mess Bushco has created on this planet. The world has been conned big time by a bunch of thugs.

[tocqueville]

9. France doesn't want the ME to explode

and France is one of the few nations that is acceptable in the Arab world, since the position towards Israel has always been balanced, that is to say the "Arab" point of view has been heard through France. Besides it's one of the few nations with a military capacity to lead an international force without being accused of being an occupier. Experiences from Kosovo, Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, Congo are mostly positive.

If there is a force to be sent the force must point guns in both directions like in Ivory coast and respond toughly if attacked, WHOEVER attacks. It must have air superiority to create a no fly-zone in South Lebanon. Israeli F16s are no match for French Rafales or for Eurofighters. The mandate of the force must be to SEPARATE the parts in conflict, not to "protect" Israel has Olmert naively (?) proposes.

[malaise]

11. You have hit the nail on the head

France is not going in there to protect Israel but to keep the peace on both sides.

[Solo_in_MD]

14. Given their historic antagonism toward Israel, and the lackluster

performance of UNIFIL, are they going to be acceptable to the Israelis? Recent French actions, esp in Africa do not reflect positively on them either.

Through this thread your assessment of the French military capabilities is clearly overstated. National pride is one thing, but the French military would not be up against ill trained guerrillas this time and could easily take a major beating from Hezbollah or Israel.

It may well turn out to be a French lead force, since they are desperate to rebuild their standing, but I would not expect all that much from them.

[Igel]

10. The French learned from having Hezbollah kill 50+ of

their paratroopers in '82.

Last time the French tangled with Hezbollah--with UNIFIL already on the ground--it was a net loss for the French. No matter how much they like keeping their former territories in their sphere of influence. (On the other hand, they like keeping their former territories in their sphere of influence, and France is saying essentially what the governments of those former territories are saying.)

[tocqueville]

12. UNIFIL is under French command

We didn't really pack home as others did. Most of the UNIFIL troops today (about 2000) are Indian and Ghanaian.
UNIFIL has lost 261 men since the beginning, about half of them due to Israeli "mistakes".

Besides there are 1700 French elite troops in Beirut now, including special forces, keeping a low profile. They have heavy equipment including Leclerc tanks, personal armed carriers and attack helicopters. They are based on the Mistral and the Sirocco ships. France's heavy carriers shuttle stuff to Cyprus, today mostly humanitarian aid, but that could change. I would like to see some fighter jets to land in Larnaka to protect humaniarian convoys.

And about your last little comment, I'd like to say that it is rather the contrary. The story with the paratroopers is a special affair between us and the Hezbollah, not with Lebanon as a whole.

[Sinti]

15. Why should they send their children to get blown up?

I wouldn't particularly expect either side to be respectful of the fact that they're part of an "international force" and not a combatant in the fray. After a cease fire is the appropriate time for peacekeepers to move in, and not a moment before.

[FrenchieCat]

16. France to Bush......

Kiss our Frites!