Le Figaro editorial sees prominent role for France in search for peace in Mideast

France gaining new scope in Middle East:

"Paris enjoys two major assets in the region, one of them old, the other new. The former is the fact that France had the wisdom and courage, from September 2002 through March 2003, to do its utmost to try to prevent the disastrous Anglo-US military venture in Iraq. Its undiminished credibility makes France the Western power best placed to perform an honest broker role in all the Middle Eastern crises.

"However paradoxical it may seem, its second asset is the esteem enjoyed by both Nicolas Sarkozy and Bernard Kouchner in the United States. This, because, though the United States' influence has diminished greatly in the region from the days of the Clinton administration, none of the crises can be resolved in the long term without Washington's endorsement."

While I am always a bit skeptical about grand plans to settle the seemingly intractable quarrels of that ill-starred region, the editorial makes a good case for its outlines of a settlement on two key issues, Iran's nuclear power needs and Israel's security needs. It's worth a read.