The divide in Europe over the war's prosecution widened last night when France's normally mild-mannered prime minister delivered a stinging attack on the campaign, saying it could become a bloodbath.
Jean-Pierre Raffarin scorned US assertions that precision arms would keep Iraqi war casualties to a minimum, saying the conflict was as bloody as any in the 20th century.
"We were expecting a tech nological war, a quick war, a 21st century war. And we have discovered a war that is among the most horrible, like those of the 20th century ... We are seeing there are major consequences in the horrors of a war that is taking place before our very eyes, in conditions we did not expect," he said.
Mr Raffarin was reacting to a government report showing that violent racist attacks had quadrupled in France, many of them against Jews. He said he was worried the war would cause religious tensions to surge; it could "traumatise" some people, he said, adding that a victory by the US-led coalition had been expected to be less painful than it was proving.
more. http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,11882,924550,00.html