One of my favorite statesman French President Jacques Chirac, decided to quit active politics and ruled out contesting the upcoming presidential elections. I like his charismatic speeches lot. Also his fierce opposition to US over Iraq war made him a revered leader world around.
He is one of the popular statesman who lead a world group in opposing the Iraq war and American hegemony. This prompted the American former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfled's angry response by calling France as part of Old Europe, By this one can understand his impact over the US petty politicians.
World is going to miss another leader with international stature.
Here are the excerpts from his remarkable speeches....
France is doing everything it can, but the problem is that it is impossible to stop Bush from pursuing his logic of war to the end
One can go to war alone, but you can't build peace alone.
Franco-American relations have been, and always will be, both conflicting and excellent. The U.S. finds France unbearable with its pretensions; we find the U.S. unbearable with its hegemonic attitude. But deep down, we remember that the 'boys' - came to help us two times, just as the Americans remember that the French helped them with their independence. So there will be sparks but no fire, because a real bond exists.
France is not pacifist. We are not anti-American either. We are not just going to use our veto to nag and annoy the US. But we just feel that there is another option, another way, another more normal way, a less dramatic way than war, and that we have to go through that path. And we should pursue it until we’ve come [to] a dead end, but that isn’t the case.
As soon as one nation claims the right to take preventive action, other countries will naturally do the same. If we go down that road, where are we going?
Adieu Mr. Chirac.
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