French back US action but politicians steer clear of a military crusade

"We are all Americans," French newspapers and politicians proclaimed in the aftermath of the attacks on New York and Washington. That unanimity began to unravel after President George Bush's speech about retaliation. But it is the oft-repeated message of "solidarity" which President Jacques Chirac takes to the White House today, when he becomes the first foreign head of state to meet Mr Bush since September 11th.

An opinion poll showed that 68 per cent of Frenchmen want their country to participate in US or NATO military action. Only 21 per cent said they would oppose it. Yet Mr Bush's reference to a "crusade" and the religious overtones of allusions to a battle between good and evil have created unease among French politicians. Yes to solidarity, they say. No to a blank cheque for reprisals.

Mr Chirac was to travel to New York for a UN summit on children's rights this week. When the summit was cancelled, the French leader instead scheduled the meeting with Mr Bush, a get-together with the French community in New York and a possible appointment with the mayor of New York, Mr Rudolph Giuliani.

The ╔lysΘe said Mr Chirac had spoken by telephone with Mr Tony Blair, Mr Jose Maria Aznar, Mr Gerhard Schr÷der and Mr Silvio Berlusconi, and that he shared "a common approach" with European leaders. Yet aside from Britain and Turkey, NATO's other members -- like France -- are cautious about being dragged into what the German Foreign Minister, Mr Joschka Fischer, called "a confrontation between the West and Islam".

Mr Hubert VΘdrine, the French Foreign Minister, said the "clash of civilisations" (predicted by the US academic Mr Samuel P. Huntington) "must be avoided at all cost".

Mr Chirac left it to his former prime minister Mr Alain JuppΘ to articulate doubts on the French right. Meeting with Gaullist RPR supporters, Mr JuppΘ said one must not forget "the root causes of the evil", which went beyond "the murderous folly of fanatics". This madness "feeds on the hatred and frustration of miserable people, victims of conflicts that drag on and that we are incapable of solving", he said. "If we do not find a solution to these conflicts -- and of course I think first of the Middle East -- we will not reach a lasting end to the violence."

The head of the socialist party, Mr Francois Hollande, said that despite France's solidarity with the American people, "concerning decisions that might be rushed, or words like 'crusade', we must keep our French identity".

The prominent green deputy Mr Noδl MamΦre said Osama bin Laden was "a monster", but he had been "created by US foreign policy".

American military and foreign policy "could not fail to create forms of terrorism like those we've just seen", he added.

The French communist party reversed its historic animosity towards the US under the banner, "Solidarity with the American People" at its annual "FΩte de l'HumanitΘ on Sunday.

But the communist charity Secours Populaire collected only a few francs for victims, and the party's leader, Mr Robert Hue, said sympathy for Americans did not mean support for the US government and military.

The American tragedy has completely overshadowed the French presidential campaign, but left-wing newspapers were quick to detect political opportunism in President Chirac's US travel plans.

Mr Chirac must have been pleased by the poll showing 84 per cent of French people trusted his ability to manage the crisis, compared to 78 per cent for Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.

Mr Charles Pasqua, a former interior minister, suggested the gravity of events might force France to postpone next March's election.