Assad may have helped French spies ambush Gadaffi

According to an article in a British newspaper the Syrian government offered French spies operating in Sirte, Gadaffi's satellite telephone number. This aided them in trapping Gadaffi by alerting Libyan militia as to where they could ambush his convoy.

Rami El Obeidi, a former senior intelligence officer in Tripoli, said:

"In exchange for this information, Assad had obtained a promise of a grace period from the French and less political pressure on the regime – which is what happened,"

International attention was shifting from the situation in Libya to that in Syria and Assad hoped that by helping the French, pressure would be removed from his regime. Assad should have known better. It worked for a short while only. For years Assad had acted as a destination for terror suspects who were rendered to notorious Syrian prisons for interrogation and torture. He always obediently provided guarantees that the suspects would not be tortured so U.S. authorities would not be complicit in sending anyone to be tortured. He was not rewarded for that either. In time the French along with the rest of western countries would turn against Assad as he crushed dissent within Syria. Now Islamic terrorists are allied with the west in attempting to overthrow Assad. If Assad is eventually overthrown do not expect gratitude from the jihadists.

Nicolas Sarkozy the former president of France was one of the first and most avid supporters of western intervention in Libya. France also played a leading role in the UN-approved NATO mission to bomb Libya, supposedly to protect civilians.

Mahmoud Jibril, who was prime minister under the Libyan transitional government, confirmed that a foreign "agent" was involved in the operation that ultimately killed Gadaffi. However, Jibril did not identify the nationality of the agent. An Italian newspaper quoted western diplomats in Tripoli who claimed that if a foreign agent were involved it was almost certainly a French agent.

This revelation could be embarrassing for NATO. NATO has always claimed that it did not target individuals. However on several occasions NATO bombed sites where Gadaffi might have been staying.

The official story of Gadaffi's death is that an RAF surveillance plane spotted a large convoy of vehicles leaving Sirte on October 20th last year. NATO warplanes bombed the convoy supposedly unaware that Gadaffi was traveling in it. Militia members found Gadaffi in a drainpipe and he was killed by one of his captors. As is often the case the official story is not likely true. The French spy had told the militia where Gadaffi's convoy could be ambushed. According to Mr El Obeidi:

"French intelligence played a direct tole in the death of Gaddafi, including his killing.They gave directions that he was to be apprehended, but they didn't care if he was bloodied or beaten up as long as he was delivered alive."

Of course it turns out he was not delivered alive.

French intelligence officers were able to pinpoint Gadaffi's location when he made a call to a loyalist and a Palestinian militant leader in Syria. Obeidi said although both Turkish and British intelligence officers were informed of the ambush it was an exclusively French operation.

Gadaffi was double-crossed by the French as well. He had been on good terms with Sarkozy even donating considerable amounts to Sarkozy's election campaign. He had threatened to reveal details of these donations when Sarkozy no longer supported him. Western diplomats said according to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera

:“Sarkozy had every reason to want to get rid of the colonel as quickly as possible."

That mission has been long accomplished. What remains is for France to negotiate new and better contracts for Libyan oil.

Socialists win majority in French elections

The result will mean that the Socialist Party led by president Francois Hollande will be able to govern without depending upon Green or Communist parliamentary members. The Socialists reportedly won 320 seats far more than the 289 needed for a majority. Sarkozy's party won 221 and the right wing National Front only two seats.

Turnout for the second round of elections was 56 per cent. The Socialist Party now has control of the presidency, upper and lower houses, all but two regions and most large cities.

However Hollande now faces the task of raising revenues and no doubt taxes and cutting spending as well. For more see this Bloomberg article.

Socialist Hollande triumphs over Sarkozy in French presidential electiion

The elections in Greece and France will probably rattle markets tomorrow (May 7). Francois Holland has been elected president in France. He is the first socialist president in two decades. The defeat is a humiliation for the incumbent Sarkozy.

Hollande won with between 52 and 53 per cent of the vote. Sarkozy received about 48 per cent. The last polls were close to that with a gap of about 5 per cent between Sarkozy and Hollande. Hollande had led throughout the campaign with Sarkozy being the first incumbent to ever lose a first round ballot!

Hollande vows to renegotiate the fiscal austerity pact a vow that worries EU leaders. Hollande also will increase taxes on the rich and hire some 60,000 teachers. For much more see this article.

Sarkozy still trails socialist challenger Hollande in French election

This is the final campaign day in the French presidential runoff election that takes place on Sunday. This election along with the election in Greece may create new challenges for the EU.

Although Sarkozy has cut Hollande's lead in recent polls he still trails Hollande by over five per cent with little time left until the Sunday vote. Some accuse Sarkozy of moving to the right to capture votes. However the leader of the main far right party Marine Le Pen did not back either candidate in the runoff.

On the recent debate polls showed that more ( 31 per cent) found Hollande more convincing than Sarkozy (29). However this may not have helped Hollande in the polls. Sarkozy claims he has led France through the economic crisis better than many other European leaders. For his part if elected Hollande wants to renegotiate the EU fiscal pact to place more emphasis on growth rather than austerity. For more see this article.

France: Far right candidate polls 20 per cent in presidential race

Although the Socialist candidate Hollande led Sarkozy by 29 to 26 per cent the runoff result is far from certain. The runoff between Hollande and Sarkozy will take place May 6.

The big surprise was the strong showing of Marine Le Pen who broke her father's record in 2002. The leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon finished far behind in fourth at 11 per cent. Bayrou a centrist candidate managed less than ten per cent at fifth.

Le Pen's policy of reserving jobs for French nationals resonated with many as jobless claims are at a 12 year record high. She also wants to jettison the Euro. Right and left populist parties are surging throughout Europe as austerity programs hurt the people.

Unfortunately for Hollande polls show about half of Le Pen's supporters will vote for Sarkozy and only one fifth for Hollande. Hollande wants to focus on growth rather than austerity measures. However who knows what he will do if elected. The Greek socialist Papandreou implemented austerity measures albeit not well enough to avoid being replaced by a technocrat.

Hollande also promises to raise taxes on the wealthy if elected. For more see this article.

French President Sarkozy proposes to jail frequent visitors to terror websites

In an over-reaction to the horrific killings by a French terrorist who had trained in an Al Qaida camp French president Sarkozy has proposed jailing frequent visitors to jihadist websites.

Of course Sarkozy would have to exempt all the many CIA, British, French, and numerous other intelligence agents who are regular visitors. This in itself might be a formidable task to filter them out. The fact that these lurkers were not jailed would also alert the terrorists as to who were likely agents!

At a political rally Sarkozy said:“Anyone who regularly consults Internet sites which promote terror or hatred or violence will be sentenced to prison,” “What is possible for pedophiles should be possible for trainee terrorists and their supporters, too.”

Of course many reporters and researchers log on to these jihadist websites. The public would be cut off from any accounts of what is happening on these websites by reporters or research by academics.

While there is nothing quite like this being proposed in the U.S. the author notes that the U.S. is now proposing to keep information on your browsing etc. for up to five years. So if you did look at these sites and fall under suspicion of being a terrorist the information could be used by investigators. For more see this article. From the polls it looks as if Sarkozy will not remain president of France much longer so French lurkers on jihadist sites need not worry.

German chancellor supports Sarkozy against Hollande in French presidential elections

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel avoids meeting with Francois Hollande the Socialist Party leader who is leading in the French presidential race. She is a strong supporter of Nicolas Sarkozy's bid for re-election. However Sarkozy is not popular and is trailing in the polls.

Apparently other conservative leaning governments in Europe are also going to give Hollande the cold shoulder. As well as Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK hope that Hollande fails in his bid. According to Der Spiegel Merkel met with both Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and the Spanish prime minister and they agreed not to meet with Hollande.

The group are angry at Hollande because he says that he wants to renegotiate the fiscal pact agreed to by all but two EU members. The agreement on fiscal discipline is a key plank in Merkel's plan to save the Euro.

The German Foreign Minister worries about Merkel's intervention in French presidential politics. Hollande seems likely to win in France. As a result Merkel and others who oppose Hollande will find themselves having already alienated an important leader they will be forced to work with. For many the best policy is to remain strictly neutral and stay out of the politics of France. For much more see this article in Der Spiegel.

France: Sarkozy trails socialist rival in presidential race

Recent polls show French president Nicolas Sarkozy falling further behind his Socialist rival Francois Hollande. Candidates from smaller parties are gaining more support.

A survey conducted on March 2-3 shows Sarkozy at 23 per cent as against 30.5 per cent for the leader Hollande. The gap between the two candidates widened by 1.5 percentage points since Feb. 19th. The first round of the election is on April 22.

The anti-euro candidate Marine Le Pen also gained a percentage point to 15 per cent even with the centrist Francois Bayrou who gained two percentage points.

If no candidate gets a majority on the first ballot the top two will face a runoff. In a runoff polls show Sarkozy again losing out with 42 per cent against 58 for Hollande. This gap is 6 percentage more than on Feb. 19th. For more see this article.

French and German leaders support financial transactions tax

For some time French president Sarkozy has supported a financial transactions tax. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has now also expressed her support for such a tax.
 Great Britain however is against such a tax unless it is global in scope. This is not likely as the U.S. opposes the tax.
 Merkel said:“Personally, I’m in favor of thinking about such a tax in the euro zone,” Merkel said. “Germany and France both equally view the financial transaction tax as a correct response.” Last September the European Commission suggested the tax rate be .1 per cent on all bond and equity trades and .o1 per on derivative trades. The Commission calculated the tax would raise 71 billion dollars a year.
 Sarkozy has even suggested that he might be willing to go it alone and impose the tax on France even if others do not join. The French financial establishment is opposed to the tax claiming that it would make France less competitive. For more see this article.

Sarkozy proposes a Joie de Vivre Index

As the article points out Sarkozy seems to be multiple characters in one person! Nevetheless his promotion of the idea of a broader measure than GDP to measure the success of nations is a good idea. Not only is the GDP measure too narrow as it is, it is also too broad in that many things that add to GDP are arguably negative in nature. As the article also notes many eminent economists such as Amartya Sen and Stiglitz who have been advocating similar ideas but Sarkozy may help make the idea more of a political force. This is from the Independent.

Sarkozy proposes the joie de vivre index
By John Lichfield in Paris
The official measure of political success should be "revolutionised" to include happiness and well-being as well as growth, President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested today.
The French president said that he would lead a "fight" – starting at the G20 summit at Pittsburgh next week – to remove the "cult of figures" and the "cult of the market" from international definitions of progress and achievement. Related articlesMinister vetoes Elton's adoption plan David Prosser: France offers us all a new perspective
Instead of material growth alone, he said, GDP (gross domestic product) should be expanded to include measures of genuine well-being, such as "leisure time" or the "quality of public service". France would start compiling such figures immediately, he said, and would battle to change the statistical systems used by all international organisations.
President Sarkozy was speaking at the Sorbonne University in Paris after formally accepting a report which he commissioned 20 months ago from a team of left-leaning or unorthodox economists, led by Joseph Stiglitz from the US, Amartya Sen from India and Jean-Paul Fitoussi from France. The report calls for a global "statistical system which goes beyond commercial activity to measure personal well-being."
Mr Sarkozy’s enthusiasm for a softer, less commercial currency of political and economic success may seem out of character. That depends which President Sarkozy you are talking about.
On one hand, there is the Nicolas Sarkozy who was elected in 2007 on a promise that France would "work harder and earn more". The same President Sarkozy recently pushed through legislation to encourage more French shops to open on Sundays. On the other hand, there is the President Sarkozy who announced early last year – before the global financial crisis – that the western world should develop a new "politics of civilisation", based on happiness and conservation, rather than riches and growth.
Since the near collapse of the world banking system a year ago, Mr Sarkozy has been arguing the need to "re-found" capitalism on greener and more "moral" lines. "For years, the official figures have boasted of more and more economic growth," he said yesterday. "It now appears that this growth, by placing the future of the planet in danger, destroys more than it creates? All over the world, people are convinced that we are lying to them, that the figures are false, or worse, faked. Nothing could be more damaging to democracy."
The President was rather vague, however, when it came to describing how a new system of GDH - gross domestic happiness - would work. He suggested that the new figures should include some way of measuring the benefits of leisure time, the quality of public services and also "personal services provided within a family circle". France, the country of the 35-hour week and good but expensive state health care, would score much higher in such an index than, say, Britain or the United States.
President Sarkozy is also planning to pick a more specific fight with other G20 leaders next week. His office let it be known yesterday that he would walk out – repeating his threat at the London G8 summit earlier this year – unless world leaders endorsed his plans for curbs on bankers’ bonuses.

Socialists slam Sarkozy over new benefit for poor.

This is distributing wealth from the poor to the poor, but I guess that is an improvement from distributing wealth from the poor to the rich. Maybe the point is that misery should be distributed more equally among the poor. France has always had an egalitarian streak! This is from IHT.

Socialists slam Sarkozy over new benefit for poor
By Thierry Leveque
Reuters
Friday, April 25, 2008
PARIS: France's opposition Socialists accused President Nicolas Sarkozy of helping some poor people by penalising others on Friday after he said he would fund a new state benefit by cutting tax breaks for low income workers.

The new "active solidarity revenue" of 1,000 to 2,000 euros (787-1,573 pounds) per person per month is intended to help poor single parents and long-term unemployed people. It is expected to benefit 1.9 million people.

Sarkozy said it would cost the state 1.5 billion euros in new funding. Extra money would come from savings obtained by cutting tax breaks for low income workers that currently benefit 8-9 million people and cost 4 billion euros a year.

"He is redistributing money from the poor to the poor instead of taking it back from the rich," said Segolene Royal, the Socialist candidate who lost last year's presidential election to Sarkozy.

The new scheme, now being trialled in 34 of France's 100 local government areas, aims to give the poor an incentive to take a job rather than remain on welfare. As things stand, people automatically lose certain state benefits when they take a job and in some cases their income decreases.

In the only major domestic policy announcement of a prime-time interview on Thursday night, aimed at boosting his low popularity ratings, Sarkozy said he would extend the scheme to the whole country next year.

SOCIALIST PROTEST

The Socialists, who introduced the tax breaks for low earners when they were in government in 2001, say Sarkozy has largely helped the rich with his own 15 billion euro tax cut package, introduced shortly after he took office.

A Socialist party statement said French families in the lower income bracket would lose some of their purchasing power. It said the tax breaks for such families should be increased by 50 percent, not reduced.

But Martin Hirsch, a former charity head recruited into the government by Sarkozy to look for ways of reducing poverty, defended the plan, which was his brainchild.

"This is really excellent news for all of those who are facing difficulties and who can't escape from poverty ... I think this is going to bring about significant social progress," Hirsch told France Info radio.

A public finances watchdog had said in a 2006 report that the tax breaks were not effective because they were spread too thinly, making little impact on individual households' income or on job creation.

(Writing by Estelle Shirbon, editing by Mark Trevelyan)



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Copyright © 2008 The International Herald Tribune | www.iht.com

U.S. courting France as new NATO partner

This is from the Hindu.
This article shows why Sarkozy is courting the U.S. He wants France back in the command structure of NATO. De Gaulle a nationalist pulled France out to preserve French autonomy. Sarkozy however is competing with Britain for the role of U.S. lapdog in NATO. Soon Freedom Fries can return to being the traditional French Fries in the U.S.

U.S. courting France as new NATO partner



Vaiju Naravane



The obstacle to the cosying up between Paris and Washington could come from London.


The three-day summit meeting of the 26-member North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which opened in Bucharest on Wednesday, could lay the foundations for France’s return to the pact’s Integrated Military Command. The meeting brings together some 60 heads of state including Russia and NATO membership hopefuls, Georgia, Ukraine, Albania and other central European nations.

Two questions dominate the summit: President Bush’s determination to bring Georgia and Ukraine into the Alliance’s fold — a decision bitterly contested by Russia and one which does not have the support of France or Germany — and the possible return of France, one of NATO’s founding members, to the Integrated Military Command.

France quit NATO’s command structure under President Charles de Gaulle in 1966 in order to “fully exercise its sovereignty.” Since then relations between Paris and Washington have never been entirely easy. President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is distinctly pro-American, has publicly expressed his desire to mend that relationship and re-enter NATO’s command structure.

The United States is reportedly courting France as a new partner in leadership, perhaps even more than Britain and Germany, although Mr. Sarkozy is unlikely to give clear answers as yet to the issue of French reintegration. He announced last year that Paris was willing to return to the military structure provided the European Union first made progress on a common defence capability.

Le Monde reported that the entire scenario for the Bucharest summit was planned: Mr. Sarkozy’s announcement that Paris will increase the French contingent in Afghanistan by as much as a thousand men followed by the posing of preconditions for an eventual French return to NATO’s command structure, essentially the putting in place of a European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). President Bush’s reply that he would welcome the establishment of the ESDP has also been closely scripted by French and American officials who have worked on this issue for the past several months. “Much will then depend on Washington’s moves over the next six month period,” Le Monde commented.

The main obstacle to this cosying up between Paris and Washington could, paradoxically, come from London. Prime Minister Gordon Brown will not actively support a new ESDP until and unless the British Parliament ratifies the new European (Lisbon) treaty. For Mr. Sarkozy to attain his objectives he will also need the support of the next occupant of the White House — an imponderable for the moment. The new President has taken a risk at home, since much of the political establishment is wedded to the notion of an independent French foreign and defence policy and is hostile to any hint of subservience to the U.S.

In France itself, there is a degree of hostility to the notion of “surrendering independence” to Washington, which is unlikely to share its leadership of NATO. Several members of Mr. Sarkozy’s own UMP party have reacted unkindly to what they see as the betrayal of General de Gaulle’s legacy. The socialists have described Mr. Sarkozy’s views as an “alignment” with Washington. Their opposition to his “Atlanticist turnaround” is shared by the communists and the far- left. Even centrist leader Francois Bayrou is dead set against a return to the military command quit by General de Gaulle. Mr. Sarkozy will have a difficult time convincing the Gaullist members of his party that the time has come for France to ally with Washington.

Guy Tessier, a conservative MP said: “Right now France can make its voice heard. We can tell the Americans what we think. We will lose that independence and become subservient to Washington. What we need is a better organised European defence policy.”

In Mr. Bayrou’s view too, a return to the command structure would mean “alignment” with Washington and loss of French “independence,” while socialist leader Pierre Moscovici said he saw “no interest at all for France in such a move”.

The prospect of France returning to NATO’s military command after more than four decades of estrangement is changing the power equations within the Alliance. Mr. Sarkozy’s move comes at a time when Britain’s armed forces are overstretched and Mr. Brown is keen on reducing overseas commitments. Germany’s “grand coalition” is hobbled by public opposition to any combat role.

Quoting European and American diplomats, The New York Times reported: “Washington is leaning discreetly on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to cooperate with the French integration initiative, which U.S. policymakers no longer regard as a threat to NATO. The issue is sensitive in Britain, where Eurosceptics remain fiercely opposed to any idea of a ‘European army’.”

London boasts of a “special relationship” with Washington, but the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair became deeply unpopular at home for joining the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, and Mr. Brown has taken a much lower profile in foreign affairs. NATO diplomats said Mr. Sarkozy has privately set a target date of 2009, as long as he gets the necessary political cover, notably from Britain, for enhanced European defence integration so he can argue that NATO is being transformed and “rebalanced”.

The French leader is expected to illustrate his value to the Alliance by announcing in Bucharest the despatch of some 1,000 extra combat troops to reinforce NATO in Afghanistan.

The idea of reintegrating NATO’s command structure is not a new one in France. President Chirac tried to push through such an agreement with Washington but gave up when the U.S. refused to budge on French requests for a top level command post within NATO. Mr. Sarkozy could come up against the same reticence, except that this time around he is playing a better hand. Washington desperately needs more help in Afghanistan and a beefing up of the French contingent could be a quid pro quo for a softening of the U.S. stand on NATO’s structure.









© Copyright 2000 - 2008 The Hindu

Australian French Leaders stress support for Afghan mission

This is from yahoo. I assume the US will welcome this. NATO is pushing hard for more support and declarations of support. It is not clear if Sarkozy is going to let French troops serve in more dangerous areas though. The mission is not popular in France. Kevin Rudd seems to be moving more towards the same sort of support of the US as Howard did except for the Iraq mission. Although Rudd signed on to Kyoto that is about all he has done on the environment. It seems he is mollifying Bush in his support for the Afghan mission.

Australian, French leaders in Kabul to stress support Sat Dec 22, 2:02 PM ET



KABUL (AFP) - The leaders of France and Australia paid surprise visits to Afghanistan Saturday, stressing support for efforts against terrorism after the bloodiest year of a Taliban-led insurgency.



French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd met their Afghan counterpart separately in whistlestop visits and also held talks with the commander of a NATO-led military force, US General Dan McNeill.

Sarkozy told journalists who travelled with him from Paris that the international community could not afford to lose the "war against terrorism" in Afghanistan.

The various nations with troops here must be united and committed in their efforts to build Afghanistan so it can withstand insurgents linked with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, he said.

"It is absolutely necessary that Afghanistan does not become a state which falls in the hands of terrorists, as we saw with the Taliban," he said.

The Taliban were removed from power in late 2001 in a US-led invasion weeks after the September 11 attacks by the Al-Qaeda network, which had training camps here and is still allied with the Afghan militant movement.

Sarkozy said his visit, on which he was accompanied by his defence and foreign ministers and other officials, was to assess the situation in Afghanistan.

France would "take a number of decisions" in the coming weeks, Sarkozy said, adding it would "reinforce" the personnel it has here to train the Afghan army and police.

France has about 1,600 troops serving with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) that is involved in efforts to defeat a Taliban-led insurgency and build Afghanistan's security forces.

Australia has about 900, most of them in the south-central province of Uruzgan -- one of the most volatile in Afghanistan and a former Taliban stronghold -- where Rudd started his trip before travelling up to Kabul.

He told reporters after talks with Karzai that his country was committed to Afghanistan for the "long haul."

"Over the next several months, I would also be encouraging other friends and partners and allies in NATO to continue their commitments to this country and where possible extend them," he said.

Australia has denied media reports last weekend that it would keep its troops in Afghanistan longer than the scheduled end of their mission in August next year, saying no decision had been made yet.

But Rudd's Labor Party had "indicated for some time that they would consider further reasonable requests for military assistance in Afghanistan," a spokeswoman said then.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi is expected in the coming days, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and US Defence Secretary Robert Gates also visited in recent weeks.

The flurry of trips comes at the tail end of the bloodiest of the Taliban-led insurgency, with around 6,000 people dead -- most of them rebels -- and a spike in suicide and other bombings.

The Australian, a daily newspaper, reported Monday that Rudd's new government had warned NATO and its allies that they would lose the war against hardline Taliban forces unless they urgently changed tactics.

The United States has also announced that a review is under way.

Karzai has been calling for more focus on militant bases outside of Afghanistan, notably in Pakistan, while there has been increased emphasis this year on training the Afghan forces and promoting reconciliation.

A NATO summit in Bucharest in April is set to review efforts to help Afghanistan end the insurgency and establish democracy