Quote of the Day (and then some)
| Buk |
Tuesday, February 18, 2003 at 4:08 PM |
"These countries have been not very well behaved and rather reckless of the danger of aligning themselves too rapidly with the American position. It is not really responsible behavior. It is not well brought-up behavior. They missed a good opportunity to keep quiet."
-- French President Jacques Chirac, responding to a joint declaration supporting the US position on Iraq from 13 Eastern European contries, 11 of which are scheduled to join the EU in the near future.
"Romania and Bulgaria were particularly irresponsible. If they wanted to diminish their chances of joining Europe they could not have found a better way."
-- Chirac, directly addressing the two of the 13 still in ongoing membership talks with the EU.
The response...
"We are not joining the EU so we can sit and shut up."
-- Czech Republic Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda
"I hope that no one is suggesting that they should be anything other than full members of the EU and perfectly entitled to express their views."
-- British Prime Minister Tony Blair
"Poland has the right to decide what is good for it. France should respect that. I would prefer if he expressed himself more politely."
-- Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Adam Rotfeld
"In the European family, there are no mummies, no daddies and no kids. It is a family of equals."
-- Polish Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz
"The French position shows certain anxiety. This approach will not help to create unity in the Security Council."
-- Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Lyubomir Ivanov
"[I am] too well brought up to respond to comments like that."
-- Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy
"We are living in the 21st century ... not the 19th century when there were people with more rights and people with fewer rights."
-- Romanian President Ion Iliescu
"Every time I have a dispute with my wife, I shout at my sons. So the problem of Mr. Chirac apparently is with the Americans and not with Romania and Bulgaria."
-- Romanian Prime Minister Adrian Nas
