As France's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner can be surprisingly undiplomatic. Having apologized to Iraq's prime minister for saying he should be replaced, Kouchner is now under fire for raising the possibility of war with Iran.
His blunt pronouncements are not just the faltering first steps of a minister finding his feet in a complex and scrutinized new job. They also show how France, led by President Nicolas Sarkozy, is inching closer to the U.S., repairing ties badly strained under President Jacques Chirac.
Sarkozy's shift is not without critics. Some fear France is surrendering its diplomatic independence and could be sucked into a U.S.-led conflict with Iran. Francois Bayrou, among the candidates that Sarkozy beat to win the presidency in May, said he fears France is aligning itself "with the toughest of the tough in the American administration."
U.S.-skeptic French voters cannot say they weren't warned. As a presidential candidate, Sarkozy made no secret of his admiration for the United States and his desire for closer relations.
Wow. Will they use Iraq as the abse of operations?
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