http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/01/19/france.us/index.html
“It’s not fair to ridicule France. France and the U.S. are friends and allies in the world, in history, since the beginning. Once again, alliance is not submission and we can disagree on certain subjects.
“We didn’t agree on Iraq. Frankly … I say and repeat that President (Jacques) Chirac’s state of mind and my own is to look ahead and not in the rear-view mirror.”
Asked whether the French are willing to compromise, Barnier said, “The French can change and the Americans can change.
“A discussion should be something frank, direct, lucid, where each one can make an effort. … I heard my colleague Condoleezza Rice say to the Senate herself that the American administration will use more multilateral dialogue in diplomacy rather than unilateral talk.”