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Shi Huangdi
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Pittsburgh, PA
Apr 1999
time: 00:26
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http://money.cnn.com/2003/03/13/new...fitel/index.htm
quote:
French goods face U.S. backlash
Sofitel hotels, fearful of anti-French sentiment, take precautions; some vendors report ambivalence.
March 13, 2003: 5:10 PM EST
By Parija Bhatnagar, CNN/Money Staff Writer
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - French opposition to a war in Iraq appears to be creating a backlash against all things French in the United States.
Products decidedly French, such as wines, cheese and even French-owned hotel chains like Sofitel, have been on the receiving end of some angry American consumer sentiment lately.
The U.S. and New York State flags adorn the entrance to the Sofitel Hotel in midtown Manhattan after French flags were removed from hotel properties in the United States.
If the backlash explodes into a boycott of French products, it has the potential to affect $47 billion of bilateral trade between the United States and France.
French flags no longer are flying high and proud outside the Sofitel Hotel in midtown Manhattan. The French-owned hotel chain, part of the French hotel company Accor, whose units include U.S. motel chains Red Roof Inn and Motel 6, replaced the flags with the Stars and Stripes as a peace offering to its American guests.
Sofitel spokesman Paul Charoy said the company last week decided to remove the French flags in front of all eight of its hotels in the United States as a "precautionary" measure and replaced them with a combination of the American flag and city and state flags.
"We wanted to calm down the situation a little," Charoy said. "We were getting some severe feelings and threats directed toward the safety and security of our employees and customers."
"This is not a political consideration," Charoy said. "The move is temporary and we just wanted to be safe."
Charoy added that about 70 percent of the hotels' customers in the United States are American.
French President Jacques Chirac said Tuesday that France, like Russia, will vote against a second U.N. resolution that could lead to war against Iraq "no matter what the circumstances."
Meanwhile, in a culinary rebuke to France, the restaurant menus in the three House office buildings said they would change the name of "french fries" to "freedom fries" and "french toast" to "freedom toast."
Marc Refabert, founder of fromage.com, a Tours, France-based distributor of French cheese with about 8,000 customers in the United States, said he's been getting hostile e-mails from some of his American customers. He's even divided them into three categories -- the polite rebuffs, the "shocking" letters, and some that said "Vive la France."
"Some of these letters are really disgusting," Refabert said. "Even if we don't agree on the French position, it does not justify those kind of letters. On the other hand, a few Americans are writing to us saying they're supporting us."
According to Michael Aaron, chairman of the Manhattan-based Sherry-Lehman wine store, his customers were also showing some ambivalence toward French goods.
"We've had a few customers who came in and said, 'Only show us American wine and no French wine,'" Aaron said. "But when we went over our February sales numbers for French wines, they were up 12 percent over last year."
"I think American consumers are talking out of one side of their mouth and still drinking French wine in from the other," Aaron said.
But Serge Bellenger, president of the French-American Chamber of Commerce, said that although he's noted a few isolated incidents of anti-French sentiment against French businesses, he doesn't see it rising to a bigger wave against all French products.
"I think the American and French business communities will respond to it accordingly if something like that happens," Bellenger said. "France has about $120 billion of direct investment in the U.S. That's a lot of French business and a lot of money."
France is the ninth-largest trading partner of the United States, according to the U.S. International Trade Commission. Total U.S. exports to France last year totaled $19 billion, while total U.S. imports from France totaled $28 billion in 2002.
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Always nice to see the French flag go down!
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Lancer
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Oregon Coast, USA! or Bohol, Philippines!
Apr 1999
time: 05:26
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paiktis, you can't escape from the fact that the US/UK and allies will attack. When that happens, all the talk will end. Then, we'll see what secrets Iraq holds...and when those come out...
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Flubber
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With a view of the Rockies
Aug 2000
time: 22:26
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While France does owe the US a lot from WW2 . . . that war was about freedom and that includes the freedom of the French to disagree with the US.
A lot has been written about the French motives and reasons and we all should feel free to agree or disagree as we choose. I understand the French have vetoed something like ONE Security council resolution since the 70s so its not like they are crazy obstructionists. While I understand the backlash somewhat, I was somewhat suprised that feeling would be running so high before the fighting started.
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Lancer
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Oregon Coast, USA! or Bohol, Philippines!
Apr 1999
time: 05:26
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So paiktis, you have some sort of emotional roller coaster going?
Anyway, glad you're not bored.
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Lancer
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Oregon Coast, USA! or Bohol, Philippines!
Apr 1999
time: 05:26
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France didn't seek UN approval for Vietnam or Algeria.
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Flubber
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With a view of the Rockies
Aug 2000
time: 22:26
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quote:
Originally posted by Lancer
France didn't seek UN approval for Vietnam or Algeria. |
irrelevant--
The US decided to try this UN path-- The fact that FRance should have done so with respect to some past act does not obligate them to approve a current act. IN the end it looks like the US will fail to get approval and will likely act anyway.
If you are going to have a United Nations, the members must have some freedom to vote as they see fit and not be hamstrung by actions of the past. I don't necessarily know that France's position is well founded but I think they have every right to take a position contrary to the Americans
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Lancer
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Oregon Coast, USA! or Bohol, Philippines!
Apr 1999
time: 05:26
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French didn't need it eh?
The Soviets didn't seek UN approval for Hungary, Czechoslovakia, or Aghanistan.
The Chinese didn't seek UN support for Korea.
In fact, until Desert Storm, NOBODY ever sought UN approval for war.
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Lancer
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Oregon Coast, USA! or Bohol, Philippines!
Apr 1999
time: 05:26
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Slowwhand, exactly.
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Lancer
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Oregon Coast, USA! or Bohol, Philippines!
Apr 1999
time: 05:26
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Didn't we go first and talk later?
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Richelieu
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Gatineau
Dec 2001
time: 00:26
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Revolting. Sickening.
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Lancer
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Oregon Coast, USA! or Bohol, Philippines!
Apr 1999
time: 05:26
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My position is that the US is the only one that doesn't "wipe their ass with international law". Now it seems that the special interests of the French is more important than backing resolutions upon which the French agreed!
So, unless the French interests are to determine international law, then the US and our allies will act without it. "International law", in the form of the UN, is, imo, corrupted.
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14-03-2003 03:21
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