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French Defend Their Approach to Terror Threats
The article below essentially matches our own experience
over the last 25 or so years, plus other year living here prior to that. French Defend Their Approach to Terror Threats Noting History of Attacks and Defensive Measures, Experts Dismiss U.S. Suggestions Security Is Lax By John Burgess Washington Post Foreign Service Sunday, December 28, 2003; Page A24 PARIS, Dec. 27 -- Police cordon off a Paris neighborhood for an elaborate drill to respond to a mock poison gas attack in a subway station. Terror suspects are tried by special courts. Six Air France flights are canceled after U.S. intelligence agencies warn that terrorists might be intending to board. From close up, France does not look like a country that takes terrorism lightly. Officials and security experts here lament that despite strict measures like these, some Americans believe that French opposition to the invasion of Iraq and to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians means the country is soft on terrorism. The French argue that they have developed one of the world's best security shields, having seen terror close up many times. A chain of bombings paralyzed Paris in 1986 and 1995; more recently the al Qaeda network has targeted French citizens abroad. "The fact is that France has been fighting Islamic terrorism for a long time," said Guillaume Parmentier, director of the French Center on the United States. "The feeling in France is that the Americans were imprudent, incautious for a long time" before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The government of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin was elected last year in part on a law-and-order platform. That has included targeting a surge of petty crime in French cities but also tightening up on terror groups. The interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, has become one of the country's most visible leaders, largely by overseeing the efforts of the police. France also devotes much of its intelligence agencies' energy to the Islamic underground, both abroad and in its own Muslim community of 5 million to 7 million people. Americans experienced international terrorism at home largely on that single day in 2001. In various periods in recent years, the French have experienced it week after week, month after month. In 1986, 13 people were killed in the French capital and dozens were injured when a series of bombs detonated at targets that included a Champs-Elysees shopping arcade, city hall and police headquarters. Responsibility was claimed by a group demanding the release of a Lebanese sentenced to life in prison for complicity in the assassinations of a U.S. and an Israeli diplomat in Paris. In 1995, Paris was again brought to a state of siege by a four-month wave of attacks, the weapon of choice being explosives-filled gas containers, with nails and bolts added to worsen the carnage. These attacks were attributed to an Algerian group angry over French support for the Algerian government and the deaths of four members in the hijacking of an Air France jet. This experience helped France quickly support the United States after the Sept. 11 attacks. French warplanes dropped bombs on enemy fighters during a major battle in the Shahikot Valley in Afghanistan; French troops remain part of the international peacekeeping detachment in Kabul. The alliance with the United States appears to have generated retaliation. In May 2002, 11 French citizens were among the fatalities when a suicide bomber blew up a bus they were boarding in Karachi, Pakistan. In October, the hull of a French oil tanker was blasted by a speedboat-borne bomb off the coast of Yemen. In recent months, "every opinion poll shows that terrorism is [perceived as] the main threat to the country," Parmentier said. Yet random conversations with people encountered on crowded streets in central Paris Saturday suggested that it was a bigger concern to government than to the population at large. The Paris bombings "were shocking and a very serious thing," said Simone De Teyssiere, 59, who formerly worked for a social security agency. "But now it's past." In her view, terrorism today is something far away, in other countries, not to be worried about in France. For Donia Bouremana, 19, a management student, the memories were more vivid. "I watch out for strange bags left in the transport system," she said, adding, "I'm always careful, and it's still in my head." Simon Pernollet, 26, a bookstore employee, said he did not worry about terrorism. In his view, terrorism warnings were often not what they appeared. The United States might have sought the cancellation of the Air France flights, for instance, in an effort to damage the French carrier economically, he said. A conversation with a cafe manager who declined to be identified by name turned up a similar theme, that the United States uses fear of terrorism to manipulate public opinion. The invasion of Iraq, which in his view was aimed at securing the country's oil for President Bush and his associates, could backfire and create new terrorists seeking revenge, he said. Indeed, nearly a quarter of people responding to a survey by France's IFOP polling group in March said they believed that the most important consequence of war in Iraq could be a resumption of terrorist attacks in France. The French government continues to take the terror threat seriously. In October, police closed off a neighborhood in Paris's Left Bank and practiced responding to an imaginary attack in which a terrorist smashes a vial of sarin gas on a subway platform as a train pulls in. About 50 people played the role of victim; hundreds of medical workers were on hand to tend to them. In December, authorities ordered heightened security precautions, based on intelligence indicating possible attacks around Christmas. Other countries in Europe did the same, fearing an attack on some symbol of Christianity. "We feel just the same [as the United States], at war with terrorist groups," said Jean-Claude Mallet, permanent secretary for national defense in Raffarin's office. © 2003 The Washington Post Company |
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French Defend Their Approach to Terror Threats
"Earl Evleth" a écrit dans le message de So what's your point ? |
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French Defend Their Approach to Terror Threats
This is actually true. The French may be completely untrustworthy as
allies but this is not an area in which they are not very good.. What they can be criticized for in this area was making public the flight cancellations before the fact, giving any would be terrorists plenty of notice not to show up and be caught. For that, they deserve worlds of blame. On Sun, 28 Dec 2003 09:45:15 +0100, Earl Evleth wrote: The article below essentially matches our own experience over the last 25 or so years, plus other year living here prior to that. French Defend Their Approach to Terror Threats Noting History of Attacks and Defensive Measures, Experts Dismiss U.S. Suggestions Security Is Lax By John Burgess Washington Post Foreign Service Sunday, December 28, 2003; Page A24 PARIS, Dec. 27 -- Police cordon off a Paris neighborhood for an elaborate drill to respond to a mock poison gas attack in a subway station. Terror suspects are tried by special courts. Six Air France flights are canceled after U.S. intelligence agencies warn that terrorists might be intending to board. From close up, France does not look like a country that takes terrorism lightly. Officials and security experts here lament that despite strict measures like these, some Americans believe that French opposition to the invasion of Iraq and to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians means the country is soft on terrorism. The French argue that they have developed one of the world's best security shields, having seen terror close up many times. A chain of bombings paralyzed Paris in 1986 and 1995; more recently the al Qaeda network has targeted French citizens abroad. "The fact is that France has been fighting Islamic terrorism for a long time," said Guillaume Parmentier, director of the French Center on the United States. "The feeling in France is that the Americans were imprudent, incautious for a long time" before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The government of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin was elected last year in part on a law-and-order platform. That has included targeting a surge of petty crime in French cities but also tightening up on terror groups. The interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, has become one of the country's most visible leaders, largely by overseeing the efforts of the police. France also devotes much of its intelligence agencies' energy to the Islamic underground, both abroad and in its own Muslim community of 5 million to 7 million people. Americans experienced international terrorism at home largely on that single day in 2001. In various periods in recent years, the French have experienced it week after week, month after month. In 1986, 13 people were killed in the French capital and dozens were injured when a series of bombs detonated at targets that included a Champs-Elysees shopping arcade, city hall and police headquarters. Responsibility was claimed by a group demanding the release of a Lebanese sentenced to life in prison for complicity in the assassinations of a U.S. and an Israeli diplomat in Paris. In 1995, Paris was again brought to a state of siege by a four-month wave of attacks, the weapon of choice being explosives-filled gas containers, with nails and bolts added to worsen the carnage. These attacks were attributed to an Algerian group angry over French support for the Algerian government and the deaths of four members in the hijacking of an Air France jet. This experience helped France quickly support the United States after the Sept. 11 attacks. French warplanes dropped bombs on enemy fighters during a major battle in the Shahikot Valley in Afghanistan; French troops remain part of the international peacekeeping detachment in Kabul. The alliance with the United States appears to have generated retaliation. In May 2002, 11 French citizens were among the fatalities when a suicide bomber blew up a bus they were boarding in Karachi, Pakistan. In October, the hull of a French oil tanker was blasted by a speedboat-borne bomb off the coast of Yemen. In recent months, "every opinion poll shows that terrorism is [perceived as] the main threat to the country," Parmentier said. Yet random conversations with people encountered on crowded streets in central Paris Saturday suggested that it was a bigger concern to government than to the population at large. The Paris bombings "were shocking and a very serious thing," said Simone De Teyssiere, 59, who formerly worked for a social security agency. "But now it's past." In her view, terrorism today is something far away, in other countries, not to be worried about in France. For Donia Bouremana, 19, a management student, the memories were more vivid. "I watch out for strange bags left in the transport system," she said, adding, "I'm always careful, and it's still in my head." Simon Pernollet, 26, a bookstore employee, said he did not worry about terrorism. In his view, terrorism warnings were often not what they appeared. The United States might have sought the cancellation of the Air France flights, for instance, in an effort to damage the French carrier economically, he said. A conversation with a cafe manager who declined to be identified by name turned up a similar theme, that the United States uses fear of terrorism to manipulate public opinion. The invasion of Iraq, which in his view was aimed at securing the country's oil for President Bush and his associates, could backfire and create new terrorists seeking revenge, he said. Indeed, nearly a quarter of people responding to a survey by France's IFOP polling group in March said they believed that the most important consequence of war in Iraq could be a resumption of terrorist attacks in France. The French government continues to take the terror threat seriously. In October, police closed off a neighborhood in Paris's Left Bank and practiced responding to an imaginary attack in which a terrorist smashes a vial of sarin gas on a subway platform as a train pulls in. About 50 people played the role of victim; hundreds of medical workers were on hand to tend to them. In December, authorities ordered heightened security precautions, based on intelligence indicating possible attacks around Christmas. Other countries in Europe did the same, fearing an attack on some symbol of Christianity. "We feel just the same [as the United States], at war with terrorist groups," said Jean-Claude Mallet, permanent secretary for national defense in Raffarin's office. © 2003 The Washington Post Company |
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French Defend Their Approach to Terror Threats
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French Defend Their Approach to Terror Threats
Mxsmanic wrote: Perhaps they knew that none of the suspects was a terrorist, and just wanted to irritate Americans for insisting that they cancel flights needlessly. The cancelled the flights because tHe US said the planes would not be allowed to land. |
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French Defend Their Approach to Terror Threats
Forthly, historically, the terrorists have selected times when
nothing was expected. With increased security this is hardly the time to strike. I keep saying this as well. September 11 was a typical day. The only possible advantage of a day in September versus a day at some other time is that the weather is almost guaranteed to be spectacular, warm but not hot, with blue skies, and a low chance of precipitation, i.e. great flying weather. The fuss that the Bush administration made over July 4 proved that they are totally devoid of clues. Why would the terrorists strike on the day with the most security? On the contrary, their next strike will occur on another typical day, a date with no significance. Casey |
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French Defend Their Approach to Terror Threats
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French Defend Their Approach to Terror Threats
On Sun, 28 Dec 2003 11:11:48 -0500, Dave Smith
wrote: wrote: This is actually true. The French may be completely untrustworthy as allies but this is not an area in which they are not very good.. What they can be criticized for in this area was making public the flight cancellations before the fact, giving any would be terrorists plenty of notice not to show up and be caught. For that, they deserve worlds of blame. The flights were cancelled because the US told France that they would not be allowed to land. It looks to me like the whole affair was designed to make the French look bad and were part of an agenda to deflect blame. The US claimed that there were some suspicious people booking flights and boarding in France, giving the impression that France was not being co-operative in the war on terrorists. then when France was unable to find any proof of a threat it would make them look incompetent. Needless to say, the American public, not daring to question Bush or his credibility, will refuse to realize that they are either crying wolf or deliberately trying to make France look bad. Complete nonsense. It was the US that wanted to keep it quiet to lure the supposed terrorists to the planes. It was the French who blabbed about it. And obviously there were credible reports about aircraft related terrorism becing contemplated or did you miss the Saudis just nabbing two pilots who were planning to fly planes into a BA jet? I suppose that was a Bush plot too huh? |
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