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Last Updated: Jul 16, 2008 - 8:53:32 AM |
"Their heart isn't in it," various newspapers reported, while the
leftwing daily Libération called the parade a "demonstration without
banners". Sarkozy has fallen out with the army, despite the increase in
French troops to Afghanistan and France's presence on the international
peacekeeping stage.
Sarkozy made a last-minute speech to the armed forces, intending to
calm the atmosphere and assure troops of all his "esteem and
friendship". But one officer yesterday told Le Parisien that morale was
"at four on a scale of one to 10, where seven would be worrying".
The tensions stem in part from Sarkozy's plan to radically overhaul the
army, which includes cutting 54,000 defence personnel jobs over the
next six to seven years. A list of the garrisons to be closed should
have been unveiled earlier this month. But as tensions and protests
grew it was postponed until the end of the month.
So great has been the concern that the army is being squeezed due to
other French budget worries that several major figures penned an
anonymous newspaper column decrying the cuts and the "amateurism" of
the defence reforms. Sarkozy reportedly called on the intelligence
services to root out those behind the column.
In June tensions were inflamed when a soldier fired real bullets
instead of blanks at an army open day in Carcassonne, injuring 17
people in the crowd. Sarkozy told the army "you're amateurs, not
professionals". The army's chief of staff resigned over the incident.
Source:Ocnus.net 2008
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