The United States should stop taking such a divisive approach to this issue. Ireland is pro-Europe and France and Germany are our friends, just as the US is. The rhetoric used by Dr. Condoleezza Rice, who is said to have argued that the US should punish France, ignore Germany and forgive Russia, is inflammatory and totally unnecessary. France and Germany took a certain stance, which was consistent with UN policy at the time. The rhetoric and behaviour of Dr. Rice, who is a senior politician in the US, is not helpful at this time. It serves no purpose in the context of the great rebuilding that needs to be done. I am sure the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Kitt, and the Government do not support the rhetoric that is emanating from the US.