Word: giscards
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...Americans-and indeed to many Europeans-the reaction was irritatingly familiar. French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt issued a joint statement strongly condemning the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Three days later, Paris abruptly declared that it would not be represented at a German-sponsored meeting of Western European foreign ministers with Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in Bonn. Once again, France stood out as seemingly arrogant and as the ally least disposed to back Washington in an international crisis...
Beyond that, spokesmen for Giscard argue that France has followed a steadier course than the U.S. in its relations with the Soviet Union. They accuse the Carter Administration of vacillation and sending out conflicting signals-ranging from its early emphasis on human rights to last fall's "minicrisis" over Soviet troops in Cuba. No wonder, in the view of Paris, the Soviets got the impression that they could ride roughshod over the West. The French feel that Washington does not fully appreciate their efforts in seeking to contain Moscow-inspired expansionism in Africa, a role that has earned them...
Nonetheless, many Frenchmen have criticized President Giscard for being painfully slow to respond to events in Afghanistan. His first reaction, mumbled at a New Year's party for French reporters, was that the Soviet move may not have been "premeditated." Foreign Minister Jean François-Poncet later tried to justify the equivocal French response by noting (incorrectly) that "France buys more oil from the Soviet Union than from Iran." Even the Giscard-Schmidt communiqué appeared indecisive to some. "It says to the Soviets, 'The next time you pull an Afghanistan you will be punished,' " complained...
...Skeptics argue that Super Phenix, which will cost $1.5 billion-a conventional reactor costs $1 billion-is too expensive. But the plant's builders, a French-Italian-West German consortium, counter that the fast-breeder's electricity will be competitive with oil-generated power. The bonus, says Giscard, is that "if uranium from French soil is used in fast-breeder reactors, we in France will have potential energy reserves comparable to those of Saudi Arabia...
...Plogoff in western Brittany to symbolize the resistance of local farmers to plans for a reactor there-the pro-nuke momentum will be hard to break. A Harris poll conducted after the Three Mile Island accident indicated that 57% of Frenchmen supported their government's nuclear program. Still, Giscard is taking no chances that people might forget the advantages of the atom. Last month he announced a 15% electricity discount to anyone living near a nuclear plant...