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| Sunday, 26 January 2003 |
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"Old Europe" jibe prompts German, French media ire BERLIN/PARIS, Jan 24 (Reuters) - German and French media across the political spectrum reacted angrily on Friday to U.S. criticism that the two countries belonged to "old Europe" and were isolated in their opposition to war in Iraq. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's dismissal of French and German opposition to bloodshed as the view of "old Europe" made the front page of French dailies Le Figaro, Liberation and Le Parisien and most German dailies too. The spat has deepened divisions in the transatlantic alliance and angered even strong advocates of U.S. policy in Berlin and Paris. These included Germany's mass circulation Bild daily, traditionally a vocal supporter of the United States. In an editorial, Bild reminded Rumsfeld of his German roots and the French ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity which had so impressed the American statesman Thomas Jefferson. "Mister Rumsfeld, hundreds of thousands of your G.I.'s fell for 'old Europe' because they freed us from the tyranny of Hitler. You are sinning against your own heroes by disparaging 'old Europe'. Your G.I.'s died for the ideals of your place of origin," Bild wrote in an editorial. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a conservative bastion known for its pro-Washington stance, gave over two full pages to the debate with contributions from leading philosophers including Juergen Habermas and Jacques Derrida. "His (Rumsfeld's) criticism of his European friends brings him into conflict with the great American ideals of the 18th century," Habermas said of the era of American independence. France's Derrida wrote: "My reaction can be expressed briefly: I find this statement shocking, scandalous and characteristic. The remarks by the American defence minister underline just how important European unity is." Old Europe kicks back "I find this comment on 'old Europe' deeply irritating. Old Europe is resilient and capable of bouncing back," French Finance Minister Francis Mer said. This was underlined in the left-wing Liberation's headline: "Old Europe kicks back". French newspapers quoted French Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie as saying: "We are no longer in prehistoric times when whoever had the biggest club would try to knock the other guy out so he could steal his mammoth skin." President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin appealed for calm and urged ministers not to make any further loaded comments, Liberation said. "Any confrontation, such as a verbal one with the United States, would be harmful for everybody," said Alain Juppe, president of Chirac's UMP party. Germany's left-wing Tageszeitung suggested the U.S. should follow the example of Russia and China in its approach to Iraq. "Rumsfeld has a problem with age. The U.S. defence minister calls France and Germany 'old', the rest of Europe 'young' and wants a quick war with Iraq. Nuclear powers like China and Russia favour more level-headedness," Tageszeitung said. Le Parisien had "Escalation" as its front page headline and noted 76 percent of French people (versus 66 pct at the start of January) are now hostile to a war in Iraq. Ageism also featured in the Parisien's cartoon, which showed Chirac and Schroeder arriving at a U.S. conscription desk holding a "No to War" banner, to which a stern-faced Rumsfeld, with Bush standing behind him, yells "Too old! Discharged!" Looming Iraq war shores up Sharon in Israeli vote JERUSALEM, Jan 24 (Reuters) - When sudden scandal threatened to erase Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's huge lead in pre-election polls, he went on television and warned Israelis not to be distracted from preparations for a looming war with Iraq. Instead of addressing allegations of corruption, he reminded voters of the fruits of his close ties with Washington as it seeks to mobilise the Middle East against Iraq, and branded his left-wing accusers as irresponsible in such uncertain times. His January 9 broadcast was pulled off the air minutes later for violating campaign rules against "propaganda". The decision smacked of censorship to many voters. An outcry erupted, swiftly reversing the decline in the polls of Sharon's right-wing Likud party. By larding his speech with imagery of the Iraqi threat and Israel's need for stable leadership and vigilance to counter it, Sharon spotlighted the supporting role of the gathering storm in the Middle East in Likud's re-election drive, analysts say. Polls show Sharon owes much of Likud's strength in the polls to the perceived naivete of dovish Labour party challenger Amram Mitzna, who advocates making territorial concessions to the Palestinians in the hope of reviving peace negotiations. Likud has also flourished from Labour's inability to market itself as a credible alternative after playing second fiddle in a hawkish Sharon-led "unity" coalition that collapsed last October. |
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