Iraqi Prime Minister Shakes France by its Crinoline

Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi [Allaoui, in French] was interviewed in today’s edition of the French newspaper Le Monde. He had some interesting things to say, so I’ve translated a few excerpts below:

[Allaoui]: We’ve always said that the war in Iraq sets the forces of evil against the people of Iraq and of all civilized nations. This is a brutal war. You cannot content yourselves with half-measures. France will not be spared, no more than Italy, Spain, or Egypt. All peoples must join hands in combating terrorism, wherever it manifests itself…. [W]hat is happening now to the French [journalists being held hostage], as well as those who, like the French, have opposed the “war on terror,” demonstrates that no one will be spared. Terrorism knows no limits. Avoiding confrontation is not an option….
[Le Monde Reporter]: Enzo Baldoni [the Italian murdered by Islamist militants in Iraq] was a pacifist who advocated the withdrawal of Italian troops…
[Allaoui]: Yes, but, they don’t give a damn! The terrorists are not trying to find out if you are or aren’t a peace activist. Their goal is to sow confusion and destroy civilization.
[Le Monde Reporter]: Do you think the French hostage crisis will bring about a change in French policy on Iraq?
[Allaoui]: The French, and other democratic countries, cannot content themselves with adopting a passive stance. The Americans, the British, and the other nations fighting in Iraq are not fighting solely for the Iraqis, they are fighting also for their own countries.
Governments that decide to stay on the defensive will be the terrorists’ next targets. There will be terrorist attacks in Paris, Nice, Cannes or San Francisco. The time has come to act against terrorism, in the same way that, in an earlier time, Europe combated Hitler. Everyday, tens of people are killed in Iraq. They are not dying because we are undergoing a major national crisis, but because we have decide to combat evil. That is why the entire international community must help us, as quickly as possible, to improve the security of our country.
One day, the United States decided to land at Normandy, to eliminate Hitler. They suffered heavy losses to accomplish that objective. The same thing is happening today. The peoples of the world must shoulder their responsibilities. The decision to help Iraq was courageous. Let me tell you that the French, despite all the noise they make about “We don’t want war!” will very soon have to combat terrorists.

The discussion that ensued on the LeMonde.fr website was also revealing, but there are only so many hours in a day :-). And Mayor Giuliani's speech is just tooo good to miss!!! Catch the highlights if you can!!!

UPDATE:

Oh, look, the Belgravia Dispatch beat me to it (time-stamps notwithstanding)!

Posted by Andrew Coulson at August 30, 2004 08:07 PM | TrackBack