From Iran to US, Sarkozy speech signals French diplomatic shift - by Angelique Chrisafis
The French president Nicolas Sarkozy last night demanded a clear timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq; and said a nuclear-armed Iran would be "unacceptable".In the speech to 180 French ambassadors, Mr Sarkozy also appeared to soften his stance on Turkey, saying France would not block negotiations between the EU and Ankara over Turkish membership as long as a special consultation committee was set up to consider Europe's borders. In another break with the Chirac regime, Mr Sarkozy hardened his tone against Vladimir Putin, saying Russia was using its oil and gas wealth with "brutality".
Yesterday Mr Kouchner wrote in the International Herald Tribune that France was ready to act as a mediator in Iraq, arguing that there could only be a political solution, not a military one. He appealed for the UN and Iraq's neighbours to act, saying: "The methods used to build a secure and democratic Iraq have failed."
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