By Zvi Bar'el : Gaza was not invited to Paris
Talkback
Title: Sarkozy and France Name: sh City: State:
"Islam is the antithesis of democracy, declares France self-righteously, and Islamic states should know their place." Where does it declare that Mr Barel? What kind of reporting is this? Islam is not the only issue on the European agenda. We only see it from the point of view of our conflict. But since 2004 Europe has expanded to include many countries from the ex-Soviet sphere of influence. In short, it has bitten off quite a bit more than it can chew. There is a world outside ours Mr. Barel. France has a long history in the Arab world which explains its relationship with the Arabs much better than you have bothered to do. Sarkozy`s country has just assumed its 6-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It is in this framework that the conference was held. Sarkozy, as is his wont, is making his mark. Sarko and France are not always the same thing but watch that space between now and December 2008.