Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Yahoo! News - U.S. Block on Iraq Contracts Upsets France, Germany
The United States unveiled plans Tuesday to limit competition for 26 reconstruction contracts in Iraq worth up to $18.6 billion, excluding countries such as Germany, France and Russia which opposed the war.
France said it would study whether the U.S. move was legal and Germany said it could not accept the U.S. decision.
"That would not be acceptable for the German government. And it wouldn't be in line with the spirit of looking to the future together and not into the past," a spokesman for German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said in Berlin.
He did not say what action Germany might take.
In an apparent effort not to sharpen the brewing diplomatic row with Washington, President Jacques Chirac, Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin and other ministers avoided reporters' questions after a cabinet meeting...
Surely France and Germany would not want to profit from this horrible, illegal war, non? That would not be right. We are simply saving them from themselves.
Seriously, apparently they can be subcontractors, they're just not going to be the primaries - as it should be. There ought to be some benefit for being on the right side. It serves as a reward to friends and a signal to enemies. This is, after all, US taxpayer dollars, and THAT friends, is national security.
Update: James Taranto points to this Ha'Aretz article. Israel isn't on the list either!?
Taranto:
Update: LGF has a parable to go with the story. Steven den Beste comments here and here.