I got this article from an online Canadian newspaper. Everyone will soon start to jump on the Iraqi post-war economic rebuilding bandwagon.
France and Germany lose distaste for war
'Very pragmatic'
Steven Edwards
National Post
Friday, April 04, 2003
UNITED NATIONS - With the battle for Baghdad under way, Germany, France and Canada, all previously vocal opponents of the war in Iraq, are scrambling to mend fences with the United States.
Germany yesterday welcomed the removal of Saddam Hussein after earlier condemning regime change as a war aim. France signalled it would accept U.S. and British control of Iraq immediately after the war, and Canada affirmed its friendship with its southern neighbour.
The changes come as world attention shifts to Iraq's post-war reconstruction and the billions of dollars worth of contracts that it will involve.
The German volte-face on regime change was the most unequivocal. "We all hope that the earliest possible end to the war will keep the number of victims as low as possible," Gerhard Schroeder, the German Chancellor, told parliament.
"And we hope that through the defeat of the dictatorship, the Iraqi people can realize their hopes of a life in peace, freedom and self-determination as soon as possible."
Mr. Schroeder launched German opposition to the war last fall when he dismissed Washington's policy on Iraq as an "adventure," knowing it would win him votes to ensure his re-election.
France also adjusted its position yesterday.
At a NATO meeting in Brussels, Dominique de Villepin, the French Foreign Minister, said France's new position is that a post-war government led by the United States and Britain is acceptable in the short term.
"We should be very pragmatic," he said after the meeting. "In the phase of securing [Iraqi territory after the war], the primary responsibility falls naturally on the coalition forces."
As recently as March 21, Jacques Chirac, the French President, warned France would prevent U.S. and British control of Iraq being endorsed by the UN Security Council, where it has veto power.
Mr. Chirac also moved to restore France's battered relations with Britain by apologizing to the Queen for the desecration of a Commonwealth war cemetery in northern France with anti-British graffiti.
He also expressed support for Britain's armed forces in Iraq.
"Know that at this moment when your soldiers are engaged in combat the thoughts of the French turn naturally towards them," Mr. Chirac said.
Last week, Mr. de Villepin refused to give an unqualified "yes" when a reporter in London asked him whether he wanted the Anglo-U.S. alliance to win the war.
France's contrition was tempered yesterday by Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the Prime Minister, who told French television the United States had made a "triple mistake" in going to war in Iraq.
In his view, Saddam's regime might have been disarmed through UN inspections, and the war risked setting the Middle East "on fire" by inflaming the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
He called on the United States to build a "multi-polar world," apparently referring to France's preference for the UN to be at the centre of international decision making.
But Mr. Raffarin also made clear that France is ultimately on the United States' side.
"I say clearly, there can be no hesitation for France. We cannot be on the side of dictators.... We are obviously not in favor of a victory of a dictatorship."
As for Canada, John Manley, the Deputy Prime Minister, introduced a motion in the House of Commons yesterday that would see Canada endorse its "unbreakable bond" with the United States.
The motion also says Canadians should avoid personalizing opposition to war.
The White House has expressed "disappointment" in Canada's refusal to support the military effort in Iraq.
Many Canadians have showed they disagree with their government, writing to U.S. newspapers to say they support the U.S.-led military action.
"I am ashamed that my country will not participate alongside the United States," wrote Luc Levesque of Ottawa in a letter published in the New York Post.
In another letter, Paul Spence of Toronto told U.S. readers the "majority of Canadians support your efforts in Iraq."
Nevertheless, there are fears Canada's stand may provoke an economic backlash.
Canadian contrition may have begun last week when Jean Chrétien, the Prime Minister, modified his opposition to bringing about "regime change" in Iraq by having the government back an Alliance motion favouring the creation of an international war tribunal to prosecute Saddam Hussein and his officials.
German signals began several weeks ago when it pointed out it had assigned 2,500 German troops to guard U.S. military bases, releasing that many U.S. soldiers for deployment in Iraq. It also has chemical and biological warfare experts in Kuwait.
sedwards@nationalpost.com
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