French President Sarkozy lashes out at small US role in Libya and says mission will last until Gadda

French President Sarkozy lashes out at small US role in Libya and says mission will last until Gaddafi leaves.

english.libya.tv

While other European leaders pushed today for some kind of political solution in Libya, the French leader strongly defended the NATO-led military operation – and NATO itself. He refuted comments by US Defense Minister Robert Gates that the alliance’s future could be in doubt because of European reluctance to exercise military might.
“I wouldn’t say that the bulk of the work in Libya is being done by our American friends,” Sarkozy told reporters in Brussels at a European Union summit. “The French

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I guess this French president is mad because he cannot believe what Gates said is right. Who pay most for NATO? It's the USA. We always do the dirty work than other nations don't want to do(Kosovo war, Vietnam, Gulf war) then ended up getting loads of abuse by the same countries they refuse to take the lead. How many missions would the French fly if it wasn't for US in flight refueling, command and control, munitions and the US destruction of Libya's air defenses? Go ahead, Sarkozy and tell me again how France is doing the heavy lifting.

And now he lashed us for playing a small role in Libya? No wonder why NATO is falling apart so badly. And no way we are going to take a lead again.

This war in Libya is so poorly planned to being with. Not to mention that NATO offcials admit that air-power alone wasn't going to help.

i agree USA should leave NATO once and for all and fix our country before helping out. We sacrificed long enough already.

english.libya.tv
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Paulioetc15


So when will France be waving the white flags?

This is atrocious I can't believe this is happening. Terrible. Since the troops are pulling out in Afghan I believe they are all coming home to tend to civil unrest.

reply to post by bluemirage5


I don't know beat me. I believe this war is so poorly planned to begin with and now we have a french president that criticized us for having the small role in Libya because they carry most of the heavy burden? Explain to me how France is going all the heavy burden despite the fact we paid NATO 75%(meaning we produce bombs, refueling, proving Intel for our allies and that's a heavy burden). You know what i agree with that guy, we should never take role in Libya because right now, NATO is really screwed about this. Did Libya attacked any NATO member(one attack means an attack on all)? Not really at least with Afghanistan it does.

read this links and explain to me how our European allies is carrying the burden. MAybe they should get their own bombs instead of asking Uncle Sam out.

prairiepundit.blogspot.com...

Less than a month into the Libyan conflict, NATO is running short of precision bombs, highlighting the limitations of Britain, France and other European countries in sustaining even a relatively small military action over an extended period of time, according to senior NATO and U.S. officials. The shortage of European munitions, along with the limited number of aircraft available, has raised doubts among some officials about whether the United States can continue to avoid returning to the air campaign if Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi hangs onto power for several more months.

www.theatlantic.com...

So France carrying the burden? They already topping the limit of their weapons and planes, the rebels are doing a better job at retrofitting what they find and fighting than France is.

www.guardian.co.uk...

"Almost three months into the campaign of air strikes, Britain and its Nato allies no longer believe bombing alone will end the conflict in Libya, well-placed government officials have told the Guardian. Instead, they are pinning their hopes on the defection of Muammar Gaddafi's closest aides, or the Libyan leader's agreement to flee the country. "No one is envisaging a military victory," said one senior official who echoed Tuesday's warnings by Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, head of the navy, that the bombing cannot continue much beyond the summer. Stanhope, whose comments caused fury in Downing Street, was expressing publicly what many senior defence officials say in private, officials made clear. The conflict is also straining relations between Washington and its European allies. Although few Nato countries are taking part in the air strikes, Europeans – including the British – are dismayed at the refusal by the US to deploy its low-flying A10 "tankbusters" and helicopters. The UK has deployed four Apaches, the French 12 attack helicopters. There are 150 other attack helicopters in Nato which can operate from ships but they all belong to the US Marine Corps, said Brigadier Benjamin Barry, senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

So tell me hows France doing the burdening when in fact they asked us to redeploy our warplanes again and heck we are justified to tell them no Way! Not to mention even some of them used our Apaches too. France started this war in the 1st place and i believe that USA should not get in anyways since he hated us for having a small role.

reply to post by Paulioetc15


Hopefully NATO members destroy each other to get a taste of what they have been doing over seas. They will eventually feel their own wrath, after all, it wouldn't be the first time greedy, power hungry Imperialists and Colonialists have turned on each other.

reply to post by Paulioetc15


You know the French.....they don't like fighting a war. Perhaps the USA quietly told Sarkozy to get dressed first then wait down by the seaside in the autumn? You know the old story about the French emperor with no clothes who got fooled by the tailor?

reply to post by bluemirage5


not really. tell me more about it please because i would love to know.

"“I wouldn’t say that the bulk of the work in Libya is being done by our American friends,” Sarkozy told reporters in Brussels at a European Union summit."


is this quote used to justify "lashes out " ?


surely ther is more to prompt such a headline?

reply to post by Paulioetc15


I know the full story but I'm sum it up in lay man's terms.....


www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com...

Originally posted by bluemirage5
reply to post by Paulioetc15

 

I know the full story but I'm sum it up in lay man's terms.....


www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdictionary.com...

Thanks a lot dude. guess that describes France LOL.

surely ther is more to prompt such a headline?

Guess now, I guess this guy is made because he doesn't listen to what Gates said.

reply to post by Paulioetc15


It describes Sarkozy remarkably well

The USA know exactly what they're doing

reply to post by bluemirage5


too right, France expects us to get us involved and when we do, we get bashed by them. I say screw them anyways and leave France to pay for NATO instead.

Okay, for one-

Though using dramatic exagerrations is catchy and exciting, it is sometimes useful to keep your head on anyway.
Sarkozy was responding to a criticism made against the europeans involved in this: "....US Defense Minister Robert Gates that the alliance’s future could be in doubt because of European reluctance to exercise military might."

So, do some mean to suggest that the US can criticise others and they are not allowed to respond?

This is the "lashing out" when asked to respond to that criticism-

“I wouldn’t say that the bulk of the work in Libya is being done by our American friends,” Sarkozy told reporters in Brussels at a European Union summit. “The French and English and their allies are doing the work.”
Wow! What a nasty accusing slimebag!

Then, the same who are callign this a false statement put up links and prove that the americans have been taking a less active roll in this whole thing..... so......he was right. What is the problem with his response then?

If you feel it is a good decision for the US not to get too involved at this time (that is what I think),
then why act like it is an insult to say they are "not doing the bulk of the work" ????

reply to post by Paulioetc15


How about if I told you that France will not have control of Libya's oil fields.......in the mean time we have to keep conviencing the French emperor he's still dressed

reply to post by coquine


What Gates mean is that we always carry the burden that other Europeans don't want to do and at the end getting up getting abused by the same countries that refuse to do the work. Why they do they rely us for intelligence and drones spy surveillance camera. most NATO allies carried out the bombing yet they rely us for refueling. I thought for once second we handed over to our allies as we ended our airstrikes. Now as proof stated up there, they asked us to redeploy our warplanes again. Bill Clinton was criticized by our European Allies for not doing something so we did and guess what Serbia hates us. So Gates is right as he sees it. I believe Sarkozy is a wrong and Gates is right. Europe completely relies on us to make up for their lack of military might.

Of course that money used for NATO was to provide a better social net for our citizens but that is a different column.

IF France do most of the burden meaning that they should get their own refueling, drones, etc so far but thye rely us for intel and refueling instead. They criticized us for getting too involved and they criticized us for not getting involved enough. So he could he be right? I already provided proof off proof about most of the work we did for our allies. I love Europe but this one ticked me off.

Originally posted by bluemirage5
You know the French.....they don't like fighting a war. Perhaps the USA quietly told Sarkozy to get dressed first then wait down by the seaside in the autumn?

Try not to get caught up in that stereotype - it is the bolt-hole of the ignorant and gullible. If you actually did the research you would find France has shed more than its fair share of blood over the years - far more than their constant critic - the US.

To topic. The problem with this post is that the website upon which this story has been posted is devoted to a "free Libya". It's sole aim is to get the US more involved, because more involvement by NATO will be helpful. On this basis the language is bound to be colourful.

You will probably found that Sarkozy's "lashes" were nothing of the sort.

Regards

Oh, Sarkozy will get his troops, nothing to be alarmed by this story. Obama will send the 30,000 troops he's taking out of Afghanistan and send them to Libya.

"I said I was pulling them out," Obama mocks, "I didn't say where I was sending them."

Wah, wah~

Originally posted by Paulioetc15
I believe Sarkozy is a wrong and Gates is right.

You believe Americans ARE doing the bulk of the work ? More than the British and French ?

It may be true that the europeans are not as well equipped as they should have been for this undertaking, Gates may be right there.

But I do not see this statement of Sarcozy’s as false either. I also wonder if it would have been said publicly at all if not for a demand of response to Gates comments. A statement in defense was called for in response, and I think it was factual and tactful.

I think these headlines and this thread title is misleading.

Wonder why Sarkozy is so insistent..

oh wait..
Now I remember..