米国とフランスが中東外交でバランスを模索
積極的、前のめりなフランスに、米国がブレーキをかける場面も。
U.S., France Seek Balance on Mideast
Friction Arises From Paris Effort to Lead Western Response to Tumult; Allies Seek Closer Coordination
DECEMBER 24, 2011
By JAY SOLOMON
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204336104577094500038099554.html
PARIS―France's role as a leader in crafting the West's response to the Middle East's political tumult has led Washington to deepen its diplomatic cooperation with Paris, but also has caused some friction in forging an international response to events in Syria and Iran, according to French and American officials.
A man waves a French flag on a destroyed tank in Libya. France helped push for the successful intervention.
The positions taken by Paris and Washington are widely seen as setting the tone for action in the Mideast. The State Department is significantly increasing staff in its Paris embassy to more closely coordinate on Iran and the political rebellions in the Middle East known as the Arab Spring.
French officials said President Nicolas Sarkozy believes Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons could set off a regional arms race and greatly strengthen Tehran's position in the Persian Gulf. He also sees the Arab Spring as a rare opportunity to bring democracy and more stability to the Middle East.
France in recent weeks has taken the most aggressive posture among European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries concerning Syria's crackdown on pro-democracy activists and Iran's nuclear program.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé last month became the first Western diplomat to publicly call for an international humanitarian intervention in Syria, though French officials have stressed they aren't seeking a military campaign.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sarkozy is pressing for a total embargo on Iran's oil exports and central bank, a step the EU and the Obama administration have yet to fully embrace. "We feel Iran needs to feel even more economic pain so that it's willing to make a strategic decision" to give up its nuclear program, said a senior French official this month. "We don't think we're there yet."
The Obama administration, however, has been wary to take too forward a position on the Middle East, due to economic and strategic concerns.
Some U.S. lawmakers, seizing on French calls for action, argue the White House should be doing more.
"We hope President Obama will throw the full support of the United States behind the Sarkozy initiative, working together with our French allies, along with other partners around the world, to target the central bank and curtail the ability of the Iranian regime to derive revenue from its oil exports," Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I., Conn.) said in a joint statement last month.
The Obama administration has worried such moves could drive up global energy prices and hurt the U.S. economic recovery, though U.S. officials said they were moving in this direction. Iran last year was the second-largest oil exporter among the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and processes most of its energy transactions through its central bank.
White House and State Department officials commend Mr. Sarkozy's government for its leadership role. But they said Paris's aggressive posture is at times complicating the Obama administration's Mideast strategy.
For instance, U.S. officials said they were taken by surprise by Mr. Juppé's public call for the establishment of a "humanitarian corridor" inside Syria during an interview with a French radio station late last month.
U.S. officials have said a forceful intervention in Syria could feed the civil conflict and give Damascus an incentive to even more aggressively crack down on political opponents. The Obama administration is worried about the potential for a prolonged civil war and isn't confident that President Bashar al-Assad's political opponents are fully united, according to senior U.S. officials.
The U.S. officials said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has held extensive discussions with her French counterpart about Syria, and in particular, the need to protect civilians. But they added they were worried the international community could box itself in by committing too quickly to taking action.
"We're not there yet," said a senior U.S. official, concerning possible steps to safeguard Syrian civilians and humanitarian aid.
Paris is increasingly becoming a center for Arab and Iranian political activists. Parisian hotels, restaurants and cafés in recent months have played host to Arab and Iranian activists who are seeking ways to weaken their governments. Syria's main opposition coalition, the Syrian National Council, recently established one of its two headquarters in Paris. The other is in Istanbul.
The French government also has helped facilitate travel for the SNC's membership, according to representatives from the Council.
"France, along with Turkey, has really become one of the centers of the Arab Spring," said Ausama Monajed, a top adviser to SNC President Burhan Ghalioun. "This is where international actions and responses are being planned."
Mr. Sarkozy's public push with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron for a military intervention in Libya, despite initial U.S. reservations, galvanized international support for the NATO air campaign that helped topple strongman Moammar Gadhafi. The administration played an early lead role in coordinating bombing strikes in Libya, but pulled back to allow Paris and London to head the operation. U.S. officials have argued the Libya intervention was successful precisely because the missions and its costs were equally shared.
France's aggressive stance in the Middle East under Mr. Sarkozy marks a dramatic shift from the time of the George W. Bush administration, when Paris actively opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
U.S., France Seek Balance on Mideast
Friction Arises From Paris Effort to Lead Western Response to Tumult; Allies Seek Closer Coordination
DECEMBER 24, 2011
By JAY SOLOMON
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204336104577094500038099554.html
PARIS―France's role as a leader in crafting the West's response to the Middle East's political tumult has led Washington to deepen its diplomatic cooperation with Paris, but also has caused some friction in forging an international response to events in Syria and Iran, according to French and American officials.
A man waves a French flag on a destroyed tank in Libya. France helped push for the successful intervention.
The positions taken by Paris and Washington are widely seen as setting the tone for action in the Mideast. The State Department is significantly increasing staff in its Paris embassy to more closely coordinate on Iran and the political rebellions in the Middle East known as the Arab Spring.
French officials said President Nicolas Sarkozy believes Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons could set off a regional arms race and greatly strengthen Tehran's position in the Persian Gulf. He also sees the Arab Spring as a rare opportunity to bring democracy and more stability to the Middle East.
France in recent weeks has taken the most aggressive posture among European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries concerning Syria's crackdown on pro-democracy activists and Iran's nuclear program.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé last month became the first Western diplomat to publicly call for an international humanitarian intervention in Syria, though French officials have stressed they aren't seeking a military campaign.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sarkozy is pressing for a total embargo on Iran's oil exports and central bank, a step the EU and the Obama administration have yet to fully embrace. "We feel Iran needs to feel even more economic pain so that it's willing to make a strategic decision" to give up its nuclear program, said a senior French official this month. "We don't think we're there yet."
The Obama administration, however, has been wary to take too forward a position on the Middle East, due to economic and strategic concerns.
Some U.S. lawmakers, seizing on French calls for action, argue the White House should be doing more.
"We hope President Obama will throw the full support of the United States behind the Sarkozy initiative, working together with our French allies, along with other partners around the world, to target the central bank and curtail the ability of the Iranian regime to derive revenue from its oil exports," Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I., Conn.) said in a joint statement last month.
The Obama administration has worried such moves could drive up global energy prices and hurt the U.S. economic recovery, though U.S. officials said they were moving in this direction. Iran last year was the second-largest oil exporter among the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and processes most of its energy transactions through its central bank.
White House and State Department officials commend Mr. Sarkozy's government for its leadership role. But they said Paris's aggressive posture is at times complicating the Obama administration's Mideast strategy.
For instance, U.S. officials said they were taken by surprise by Mr. Juppé's public call for the establishment of a "humanitarian corridor" inside Syria during an interview with a French radio station late last month.
U.S. officials have said a forceful intervention in Syria could feed the civil conflict and give Damascus an incentive to even more aggressively crack down on political opponents. The Obama administration is worried about the potential for a prolonged civil war and isn't confident that President Bashar al-Assad's political opponents are fully united, according to senior U.S. officials.
The U.S. officials said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has held extensive discussions with her French counterpart about Syria, and in particular, the need to protect civilians. But they added they were worried the international community could box itself in by committing too quickly to taking action.
"We're not there yet," said a senior U.S. official, concerning possible steps to safeguard Syrian civilians and humanitarian aid.
Paris is increasingly becoming a center for Arab and Iranian political activists. Parisian hotels, restaurants and cafés in recent months have played host to Arab and Iranian activists who are seeking ways to weaken their governments. Syria's main opposition coalition, the Syrian National Council, recently established one of its two headquarters in Paris. The other is in Istanbul.
The French government also has helped facilitate travel for the SNC's membership, according to representatives from the Council.
"France, along with Turkey, has really become one of the centers of the Arab Spring," said Ausama Monajed, a top adviser to SNC President Burhan Ghalioun. "This is where international actions and responses are being planned."
Mr. Sarkozy's public push with U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron for a military intervention in Libya, despite initial U.S. reservations, galvanized international support for the NATO air campaign that helped topple strongman Moammar Gadhafi. The administration played an early lead role in coordinating bombing strikes in Libya, but pulled back to allow Paris and London to head the operation. U.S. officials have argued the Libya intervention was successful precisely because the missions and its costs were equally shared.
France's aggressive stance in the Middle East under Mr. Sarkozy marks a dramatic shift from the time of the George W. Bush administration, when Paris actively opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
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