France lashed out at President Bush yesterday in an all-out bid to block an Iraq attack as it threatened to veto any new U.N. Security Council resolution that authorizes action against Saddam Hussein.
French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin pointedly switched into English to ridicule Bush’s blunt warning that “the game is over.”
Raffarin huffed: “It’s not a game and it’s not over” – while a French official told Le Monde newspaper that France may use its Security Council veto, which is its prime source of diplomatic clout.
But Bush said it’s Saddam who has “played a game” with U.N. weapons inspectors – and the Security Council will be “weakened” if it balks at ending Saddam’s game.
“If the Security Council were to allow a dictator to lie and deceive, the Security Council would be weakened . . . The U.N. Security Council has got to make up its mind soon as to whether or not its word means anything,” Bush said.
French President Jacques Chirac yesterday phoned Bush to argue that war can be avoided by “reinforcing inspections and obtaining cooperation,” according to Chirac’s spokeswoman.
The White House said Bush stressed to Chirac that France is “an important ally,” but the president also publicly scoffed at the idea of “a beefed-up inspection regime” which he said dismissively was proposed by “somebody.”
Bush will devote “the next two weeks” to “a serious diplomatic effort,” said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer – but didn’t say if that’s the deadline for military action.
Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix – now on a make-or-break mission to Baghdad – reports back next Friday on whether Saddam remains defiant. Officials say the push for a new get-tough U.N. resolution will start after that.
A senior U.S. official said France “historically gets on at the end.”
“We’re trying to find a way back for the French – they don’t want to lose face. We’d rather have the French on board, but this train will leave the station with them or without them,” the official said.