Word: french
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Gaddafi humiliates the French, but is stung by Egypt...
...Chad, at least 1,000 Libyan troops remained in the African country, despite Gaddafi's agreement with French President Francois Mitterrand, made in September, to remove them. As a result, French troops are on stand-by in neighboring Central African Republic and in Gabon...
...Washington, French Foreign Minister Claude Cheysson struggled to relieve his country's embarrassment over the Chad affair. Said he: "Gaddafi is a fact. He is the leader of Libya, an independent country. To ignore him would be a political mistake." France has resumed negotiations with Libya over the troop withdrawal, an action opposed by Washington on the ground that there is no point in bargaining with one of the chief instigators of international terrorism. But Cheysson insisted: "What would the U.S. have us do? Enter into war with Libya? The only reasonable policy is the one we have said...
...duped. You can't believe your eyes. One asks oneself if there is not something suicidal in Mitterrand's behavior." The barrage of criticism did little to improve Mitterrand's sagging popularity ratings, which had already dropped to 26%, the lowest for any French President since the Fifth Republic was founded...
...European Community. Asked about the presence of his name on Gaddafi's assassination list, Mitterrand said with an impatient smile, "If some thing happens, we will let you know." Said Kohl: "We will wait to see the developments [of the Egyptian inquiry], and we remain calm." One French official, referring to the arrest of the Libyan assassination team, down-played the Egyptian sting. Said he: "Don't you think that Mubarak is using the affair for his own ends? He has a special ax of his own to grind with Libya...