(Telegraph-UK) Richard Perle, a former assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration and now chairman of the Pentagon's Policy Advisory Board, on Tuesday dismissed Germany's refusal to support military action against Iraq as an aberration by "a discredited chancellor." Perle also said "France is no longer the ally it once was," and he went on to accuse French President Chirac of believing "deep in his soul that Saddam Hussein is preferable to any likely successor." "Very considerable damage has already been done to the Atlantic community, including NATO, by Germany and France," Perle said. (UPI) See also France Talks Peace But Sends Warships East Unlike Chancellor Schroder, Chirac has been careful not to "exclude" the option of war, if all else fails. He may copy President Mitterrand's tactics in the first Gulf War, which was to join the U.S.-led coalition at the last moment after extracting every ounce of possible advantage.
2003-02-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive