Jospin returns to diplomatic roasting from Chirac

Jospin returns to diplomatic roasting from Chirac
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

PARIS, FEB 27: French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin has returned from the Middle East to a dressing down on diplomacy by President Jacques Chirac after his comments labelling Hezbollah fighters "terrorists".

Jospin, who received a cut to the head when his entourage was stoned by Palestinian demonstrators on the West Bank, returned late Saturday to Paris and immediately held a telephone conversation with Chirac. The conservative President warned the socialist Prime minister that France's credibility could be damaged if its "impartiality" in the Middle East was undermined, a presidential statement said.

"The head of state reaffirmed the consistency of France's foreign policy and the balance which inspires the action of our country in the Middle East, action which remains unchanged," the communique went on. Traditionally foreign policy is controlled by the President. But Chirac declined Sunday to upbraid Jospin publicly for sparking Arab outrage by describing Hezbollah strikes in South Lebanon as "terrorist attacks".

"I said what I had to say last night," the President said. "I have no other comment to make." Back in Paris, Jospin said he would meet the President ahead of a scheduled cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning to discuss the controversial visit. Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, who accompanied Jospin to Israel and the West Bank, sought to limit the diplomatic fallout by claiming France's Middle East policy remained "clear and unambiguous". "On these general questions of the Middle East, the peace process, the question of how to describe this or that event in southern Lebanon is not very important in terms of the overall set-up," Vedrine said.

"And France's policy in relation to the peace process, our involvement in it, the work we have done with all the protagonists in the conflict, all this seems to me clear and unambiguous." Vedrine suggested that the violent demonstration at the Palestinian university of Bir Zeit had been "organised" by a small radical faction.

Earlier, Syria and Iran had both protested publicly about the Prime minister's comments, while the deputy leader of the Hezbollah group demanded Sunday that Jospin apologise for what he had said. Sheikh Nayem Qassem added in a statement: "Jospin is not wanted in Lebanon and I hope that he will not think of visiting this country until he has apologised for the affront that he has inflicted on the (anti-Israel) resistance and the Lebanese people." Jospin's controversial remarks may have dealt a blow to French diplomacy, but Chirac has scored valuable points in his battle with Jospin ahead of a presidential election in 2002. The two are likely to be the main contenders and despite their uneasy governing relationship, both currently enjoy high opinion poll standings. But Jospin's comments have also been criticised at home.

The stoning of the French PM was reminiscent of troubles that erupted while Chirac was on a visit to the old sector of Jerusalem in October 1996. Israeli security forces clashed with demonstrators and Jospin, who was then head of the Socialist Party, commented at the time: "I think that diplomacy is a difficult art and that it is better to master problems before meeting them."