On the eve of his departure for a lengthy trip to Europe and the Middle East, President Bush extended an olive branch to French President Jacques Chirac and praised France’s cooperation in the war against terrorism. “I’m not mad,” Bush said in a French television interview yesterday. “I mean, I’m disappointed and the American people are disappointed” over France’s successful efforts this spring to prevent the United Nations from authorizing the U.S. war against Iraq. Asked if he would forgive France, Bush said, “Sure.” Aides who briefed reporters earlier this week on the trip said Bush would make no concessions to unrepentant Europeans who opposed the war, and would challenge them to demonstrate transatlantic cooperation. As the Washington-Paris rift escalated in recent weeks, the Defense Department canceled French participation in a major U.S. military exercise set for this summer, and Chirac’s government publicly accused segments of the administration of conducting an anonymous “disinformation campaign” against it. Full Story
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