Just days before the leaders of the G-20 are to meet in London to discuss the global financial crisis, Nicolas Sarkozy takes a confrontational stance towards Britain and the US stating that hard measures have to be taken towards capitalism, or the London summit will be worthless.
Tomorrow morning the French president will give an interview on French radio to stress his hard-line approach. Battling low popularity ratings at home, Sarkozy knows the G20 is crucial to his standing in France.
Sarkozy, who said earlier the economic crisis was caused by “Anglo-Saxons”, is pushing for a global financial regulator.
The proposal is opposed by the U.S., while U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown reportedly also criticized the plan, saying it was ridiculous.
The AFP poses an interesting question over the dilemna that Sarkozy faces with the upcoming G-20 summit: “But would Sarkozy really storm out of Brown’s summit, or snub the new US leader that he has been at pains to impress? That would be, his aides admit, the nuclear option.
“In nuclear deterrence there’s an essential principle, which is to never say in advance when you plan to use it,” the president’s office said.”
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