France has taken part in the Nato air strikes, despite its tradition of independence and occasional anti-Americanism in foreign policy. Both President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin have given their backing to the Nato operation. President Chirac said that if Nato had failed to act, “it would have meant accepting barbarism and also taking the risk of a general destabilisation of the Balkans”.
There’s not been a complete consensus, however. Interior Minister Jean-Pierre Chevement - a well-known nationalist who resigned as defence minister in 1991 because he opposed the Gulf war - has made it clear he prefers a political solution in Kosovo. The media too have expressed disquiet, uncertain whether Nato’s military action will achieve its political objectives.
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