Airstrip One

Everyone argues Chirac is an Arab. He isn't, he's an African, like Mbeki. They have the same view of the world.

Having thrown Mr Mugabe a lifeline, President Chirac then lectured him. Before I quote the choicer chunks of M. Chirac's speech, let us reflect on this fact: on my count, approximately 23 of the leaders welcomed to Paris were dictators, among them a man who killed his own brother to win power. And this is what President Chirac had to tell them: "You – and we – cannot give legitimacy to violence; we cannot allow grey zones or areas of lawlessness to emerge; we cannot leave provinces to become disinherited. How can we remain indifferent to the grave famine now threatening 40 million Africans? Here too, the answer lies in determined action. The days of impunity or when people were able to justify the use of force are over. Now we must work to strengthen justice."

He didn't get a standing ovation. Ill-mannered louts!