here it is
here it is
By CHRISTINE OLLIVIER
The Associated Press
Tuesday, April 1, 2003; 5:20 PM
French leaders warned Tuesday against anti-Americanism and said they were on the "side of the democracies" in the war in Iraq.
The comments to lawmakers by Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin reflect the unease in Paris that French opposition to the war could damage ties with Washington.
"It is indispensable to be vigilant against all displays of anti-Americanism, which would be unacceptable," spokesman Jean-Francois Cope quoted Raffarin as telling representatives of Parliament on Tuesday.
Villepin, who last week refused to answer a reporter's question about who he wanted to win the war, declared Tuesday in Parliament that France was firmly behind the United States and Britain.
The foreign minister called Saddam Hussein the leader of a "cruel and dictatorial regime," and said it was France's responsibility to back the side of law and peace.
"Obviously, we are on the side of our allies, of the United States and of Great Britain," Villepin told the LCI television station.
Villepin's office issued a terse statement last week declaring his hope for a victory by the U.S.-led forces after media reports suggested the French diplomat's stand was ambiguous.
Raffarin and other French officials have made similar statements this week. On Monday, the prime minister said France's opposition to the war did not mean it considered the United States an enemy. Paris has not backed down from its stance, however, that the United Nations should have been the forum to decide such an issue.
Other French leaders have also been on the defensive, concerned that France's anti-war stance has been seen as a betrayal of Washington.
"France does not turn on its friends," declared Christian Poncelet, president of the French Senate. "They have taken a position that is not ours, but that in no way dents our good relations."
Other lawmakers urged people not to glorify Saddam. Portraits of the Iraqi leader are held aloft at anti-war marches in France, along with Iraqi flags.
Although the government insists it wants to see the U.S. coalition win, the public is more ambivalent.
A poll published Monday by Le Monde newspaper and TF1 television station found 34 percent of respondents to be "on the side" of U.S.-led forces, while 25 percent said they supported Iraq. The March 28-29 telephone poll of 948 people said that 31 percent supported neither side. The survey did not provide a margin of error.
? 2003 The Associated Press
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not verbatim,but close....the quote i heard was on msnbc and was longer than this snippet......in my estimation,they are backtracking bigtime....i understand freeze`s take and respect it,,but,i don`t think everyone will be as forgiving as that....support us when it`s expeditious?....that doesn`t cut it(imo).....g.l.
