French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s own minister for human rights objected, in the most colourful language, accusing her boss of allowing Libyan leader Moammar Gadaffi to use France as a doormat on which he could wipe his shoes of the blood of his crimes. Was Rama Yade sacked for this eloquent outburst against the man who had made her the youngest member of his government? Not a bit of it. She suffered a 20-minute reprimand, did not have to apologise and, unlike the United Kingdom’s Admiral West, after his carpeting by Gordon Brown for not being on-message about extending the detention limit for terror suspects, did not speedily have to change her mind and announce that, on reflection, she enthusiastically welcomed Gadaffi’s thoroughly desirable visit.
Sarkozy has come under lively criticism for granting the Libyan leader a state visit in the first place, and for greeting him with such elaborate warmth; but the French president is relaxed about the fuss, as he showed by his treatment of his wayward minister. He’s relaxed because he believes he has the perfect answer to all his critics, and it’s one he’s been dishing out all week. It can be stated — and he sometimes does so — in three words: 10 billion euros. The reference is to the amount France is to receive under various contracts with Libya. Stuff human rights, he’s saying, this is far more important. Or, as the front-page headline of the daily Liberation put it this week, summarising the warning Sarkozy gave Yade, ”Silence, on vend” — shut up, we’re selling.
What strikes me about Sarkozy’s attitude is its total absence of embarrassment, the lack of any attempt to excuse or explain: business trumps human rights. Full stop. Contrast this with the behaviour of Brown and the British government when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia came on his state visit to London six weeks ago. Embarrassment oozed out of every British pore. We really don’t want to do this and wish we didn’t have to, was the clear message — never spoken out loud — but we’d better, because the Saudis help us catch terrorists and buy things from us. Human rights? Jolly important, but we won’t mention it now, in case they get cross; but we assure you we’re working on it behind the scenes.
The British and French governments were doing the same thing — entertaining a tainted head of state to make money. Sarkozy did it openly, almost proudly; Brown hypocritically. The prime minister did, it’s true, demonstrate his human-rights credentials with his easy, unnecessary, pointless and possibly counter-productive boycott of the European Union-Africa summit last week, because Robert Mugabe was there. But then, Zimbabwe isn’t buying billions of euros’ worth of British goods. — Â