Main focus of Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Gaddafi, France's cumbersome guest

On December 10th, the Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi arrived in France for a five-day official visit during which he is due to meet politicians, business executives and intellectuals. His presence is causing great controversy, President Nicolas Sarkozy being accused of giving precedence to lucrative commercial contracts at the expense of human rights.

Le Monde - France

The daily assumes that "the eagerness to host [Gaddafi], and the high consideration he receives for a rather long visit, does not glorify France. By not demanding any condition for closer links with Tripoli, Paris is giving a 'carte blanche' to an old dictator, whose main asset appears to be petrodollars. Unlike Angela Merkel, who defends human rights and democratic values anywhere, Mr. Sarkozy takes advantage of Europe's inability to adopt a common position on these issues, to strategically approach leaders who are less keen to respect freedoms. It is not unusual to enter into dialogue with Libya, an important African and Mediterranean country. But France's position seems tied by a still mysterious agreement, which presided over the nurses' liberation, on July 24th." (10/12/2007)

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Corriere della Sera - Italy

"Diplomacy is an art of nuance and Sarkozy doesn't know half-measures", notes the French political scientist Dominique Moïsi, working for the French Institute for International Relations (IFRI), in an interview by Massimo Nava. "Sarkozy overacts or underacts. He's not good at diplomacy, and controversy is justified, not only on this occasion. I refer to his hugging [George] Bush, and his congratulating Putin. This visit could have been more low profile (...). All this follows a certain logic : Sarkozy's image sticks to big companies. His diplomacy is mercantile. This can be legitimate and be a benefit to the economy, but it needs to be said without hypocrisy. Sarkozy promised more Europe, but it seems to me that there's more France in his vision." (11/12/2007)

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La Vanguardia - Spain

Adding to the protests against Gaddafi's arrival predictably voiced by France's left, French Secretary of State for Human Rights Rama Yade declared that France "is not a doormat on which a leader, whether a terrorist or not, can wipe the blood of his evil deeds off his feet." According to the daily, "parts of France hold on to moral values, and defend human rights. For them, Gaddafi's visit is not just embarrassing. It's a real insult. Not only will Gaddafi be meeting with Sarkozy, but he will be attending the National Assembly, French democracy's temple, and network with business executives. The Libyan leader will purchase Airbus airplanes, a nuclear power station and military weapons for 10 billion euros. Unashamedly, the French president has justified this invitation, saying that Gaddafi is respectable again ... ." (11/12/2007)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Trade, » France, » Europe, » Libya

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - Germany

"The diplomatic shake-up to which Sarkozy has subjected the moral integrity of his intellectual supporters in the name of his catchword 'rupture' has reached new heights with Gaddafi's five-day visit," Joseph Hanimann writes. "Intellectuals like [André] Glucksmann were used to a meek or at worst condescending reaction from politicians to their protests. The defiance and smugness with which Sarkozy and his team follow through their decisions are disrupting the traditional behaviour patterns of intellectuals. Hence, the strongest protests against the Libyan's official visit came not from the intellectuals but from government circles. The frank words of Secretary of State for Human Rights Rama Yade, who said that France was no doormat for dictators to wipe their dirty shoes on, are circulating like a magic formula among the opponents of the visit." (11/12/2007)

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