France-Iran-US
The French government in recent months has shown signs of naivety and an unprecedented illogical lenience towards the White House which will undoubtedly lead to weakening of its status in the European Union and strengthening its rivals.

The US has made various efforts in the past to take advantage of the French position and influence in Europe. But France has always adroitly refrained from identifying itself with the US policies by resorting to the French independent values.

In the latest case, namely Iraq's occupation by the US forces, France distanced itself from the Washington's policy and termed it as an act against International laws and regulations.

Since the outset of the presidential campaign in France this year, the US seemed to have been intent on channeling the French political capacity within the EU during the power change in Paris into its own anti-Iran policy.

The fact is that the current considerable influence and high status of France within Europe has taken shape mainly due to its traditional independent policies and its effort to shun collaboration with the US in order not to satisfy the latter's interests, a condition at stake in case France gravitates to the US war-mongering policies.

The more balanced positions taken by other EU members towards the US power wielding especially against Iran shows that France is feared to gradually diverge from the common policies of those countries. And the proposal of European sanctions against Iran brought up by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is in the same direction.

The proposal is not certainly considered a French initiative but along with other recent hard positions of Paris is in fact an effort out of tune within EU in the rather coordinated and calm EU atmosphere which would surely confound the old hands among European politicians.

The untimely and incongruous stands taken by Mr Sarkozy and Mr Kouchner, at a time when Iran and the International Atom energy Agency are enjoying bilateral confidence and have formulated joint efforts , contrast starkly with the traditional judicious and sensible stands of France and its partners in the EU.

If the current trend goes on, the strong position of France in the EU would not remain as before and the Washington-Paris collaboration would undoubtedly harm French status within EU beyond repair. And this might be even the main target of the US strategy in Europe. This can be rectified and balanced only through a certain "French vigilance" especially regarding Iran.

255/255

---> France-Iran-US