The appearance of Hizbullah head Nassarle on the dignitaries'
platform at the Conference of French- Speaking Nations in
Beirut while French President Jacques Chiraq was delivering a
speech against terrorism, has given rise to renewed tension
among French Jews. French newspapers glossed over Nassarle's
presence among the heads of state as if they had received
orders from above.
Israel and Jews in France and elsewhere consider such an
official association with the head of a violent terrorist
organization whose stated goal is the destruction of Israel
as yet another insulting blow by the French government. In
his remarks, Chiraq himself did not entirely shun terrorism
as a means of fighting. "Terror is the last thing that should
be considered," he said.
France has had secret ties with Hizbullah ever since deals
were made with Nassarle to release French hostages who were
tortured for three years by his associates. The body of
Michel Sara, who died under excruciating conditions while
held by Hizbullah, has yet to be returned. Meanwhile France
has stubbornly refused to include Hizbullah on the European
Union's list of terrorist organizations.
Touring Arab countries bordering Israel to bolster the front
against the war with Iraq, Chiraq came across as the leader
of European opposition. Israel was left off his itinerary,
despite declarations that the trip was intended to promote
the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. In
reality the trip was intended more to garner Arab support for
France's positions in the United Nations, to improve France's
status among Arab nations that serve as bases for terrorist
operations, including Syria and Lebanon, and to demonstrate
to Al Qaeda that there was no reason to perpetrate attacks in
France, with its pro-Arab policies. The latter is probably
the reason no stopover in Israel was included as part of the
trip.
Chiraq has essentially returned to the days when French
presidents would survey Israel through binocular lenses from
Arab bunkers along Israel's borders. Syrian journalists cast
France as the only Western nation to accommodate Arab
stances.
He opened his visit Sunday afternoon with a declaration that
"the Middle East does not need another war if it can be
avoided, therefore France opposes military action against
Iraq as long as other options are available," remarks that
antagonized Washington.
In the UN, France objects to the US and British proposal to
grant advance approval for military action if Saddam Hussein
does not meet terms requiring he dismantle weapons of mass
destruction.
Thanks to Chiraq, President Bush has found himself isolated
in the Security Council. The French have been gloating over
their successful campaign to halt Bush on his way to Iraq and
the dispute between France and the US has intensified over
the past several days. Members of his entourage in Beirut
boasted on Sunday that due to their efforts Bush would not
attack. French radio reported that Chiraq succeeded in
forcing the US administration to draft a new proposal that
would take his position into account. Likewise Iraq's Vice
President praised France on Sunday for its efforts to prevent
a war from breaking out.
Before his departure from France, a spokesman said Chiraq was
bringing two hydrologists with him to Lebanon where he would
begin to broker a solution to the Wazzani water crisis. The
French Ambassador in Beirut participated in the opening
ceremonies of the new pumping station on the Wazzani despite
Israeli allegations that Lebanon was violating international
water agreements.
US experts evaluating the pumps in the Wazzani told a New
York Times reporter, "Using the waters of the Wazzani for
irrigation is like watering plants with Evian mineral water."
They claim that drawing the water for irrigation purposes
clearly appears to be an act of political collusion.
Israeli Reporter Posing as French Expelled from
Beirut
A storm was unleashed at the media center in Beirut, the
stage for coverage of the Summit Conference of French-
Speaking Nations, when Israeli Second Channel reporter Gidon
Kotz was discovered broadcasting a direct report on talks
held between French President Jacques Chiraq and Lebanese
President Emil Lachud at the presidential palace in Abdah.
French bodyguards had to protect Kotz when Lebanese and
Syrian journalists threatened to strike him.
Last Thursday Kotz videotaped inside the palace despite being
registered as a newspaper reporter with the French press
delegation.
According to Ittim the pool of Lebanese reporters who covered
the summit signed a petition demanding Kotz's immediate
removal from the country. "We, the undersigned journalists,
denounce the presence of journalist Gidon Kotz [at the
conference], a reporter for the Israeli media, and demand his
immediate and public expulsion from Lebanon, since his stay
in Beirut is in violation of Lebanese law and represents an
act of provocation.
"Furthermore, Gidon Kotz' professional position violates the
electronic media law. As an additional arm of Israeli
propaganda he is not wanted in our land," read the
petition.
Friday afternoon the Lebanese journalists decided to protest
Kotz's presence in Lebanon through a sit-down strike. At this
stage, Lebanese security personnel went into action. They
whisked Kotz out the back door of the media center and took
him to an unknown location, in a car belonging to the French
press delegation.
Kotz entered Lebanon as a member of the French presidential
media pool, which included 70 journalists.
