French Foreign Minister reverses course, no longer believes Iran is a ‘stabilizing’ force in the Middle East

Via the Jerusalem Post:

Days after calling Iran a “stabilizing” force in the Middle East, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy issued a statement harshly criticizing Iran’s call on Thursday to destroy Israel.

“I totally condemn these words,” Douste-Blazy said on France-Inter radio, in response to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s statement Thursday that the solution to the current Middle East crisis was to destroy Israel.

“Peace and security in Lebanon and its borders has to be preserved by the Lebanese government and people. Deployment of foreign forces is not acceptable in any shape unless it is just, based on UN rules and preserves the unity and territorial integrity of Lebanon,” he said.

The words are “absolutely unacceptable on anyone’s part, especially from a head of state,” Douste-Blazy said.

What he said just a few days ago:

“In the region there is of course a country such as Iran – a great country, a great people and a great civilization which is respected and which plays a stabilizing role in the region.”

I’m glad he’s finally come to his senses, although it should have been obvious to him before now that Iran was anything but a ‘stabilizing’ force in the region. Examples are below:

• Iran and Hamas: tag team terror partners
• Iran once again engages in saber rattling
• How the media undermines US national security
• Iran steps into the danger zone
• Iran paper to publish Holocaust ‘cartoons’
• ‘Warmonger’ Bush: We’ll help defend Israel if needed
• “Big Five” refer Iran’s nuke file to Security Council
• Iran’s president has ‘doubts’ about the Holocaust
• Iran leader: Israel should be “wiped off the map”
• No Jewdo?