France: Ségolène Royal, Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Laurent Fabius last night attempted to prove their foreign policy mettle - a pre-requisite for any presidential candidate - in the last televised debate before the socialist primary on November 16th, writes Lara Marlowe in Paris
On policy towards the US, Iraq, Israel/Palestine and the Iranian nuclear programme, their replies were similar.
Mr Strauss-Kahn's desire to renew "the Franco-German couple" stood out. So did Mr Fabius's opposition to Turkish membership of the EU. Mr Fabius also said he would refuse to meet Hamas officials or Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, "because the French president is a moral authority in the world and he should not receive someone who says he wants to destroy Israel".
Ms Royal was the most combative on relations with the US. "Since Gen de Gaulle, France has always embodied a certain pride and independence vis-a-vis the United States," she said. "We absolutely cannot accept the concept of preventive war, nor the concept of good versus evil, nor disengagement in the Middle East, nor the Americans preaching economic liberalism abroad and practising protectionism at home. We cannot tolerate their refusal to ratify the Kyoto Treaty when they are the world's number one polluter."
"I'd rather be the friend of the American people than Bush's poodle," Mr Fabius said, reminding television viewers that he called right-wing candidate Nicolas Sarkozy Bush's poodle "because he went to kiss Bush's slippers" in Washington.
President Jacques Chirac had been absolutely right not to follow the US into Iraq, Mr Fabius said. Now it was important to strengthen Iraq so that it could again serve as a counterbalance to Iran, he added.
While both Mr Strauss-Kahn and Mr Fabius said US troops should leave Iraq as soon as possible, Ms Royal felt it should be left to the Iraqi government to decide on a timetable. When she called the fractious government in Baghdad "an Iraqi success, and a success of the international community", Mr Strauss-Kahn chided her, saying, "we're not anywhere near there".
None of the socialists had a convincing answer to the conundrum of how to prevent Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, though Ms Royal advocated Russian supervision of the civil nuclear programme. Her rivals were keen to impose economic sanctions on the leaders of the Islamic republic - on condition China and Russia agree, Mr Strauss-Kahn stipulated; on condition sanctions do not hurt the Iranian people, Mr Fabius added.
Mr Strauss-Kahn and Mr Fabius thought it was important that France resume a dialogue with Syria. "Jacques Chirac refuses discussions with Syria because of his past ties with [ slain Lebanese prime minister Rafik] Hariri," said Mr Strauss-Kahn. "It has become too personalised." Mr Strauss-Kahn said "French policy has not varied" towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
All three agreed on Israel's right to security and the Palestinians' right to a viable state. They want the EU to exercise political influence commensurate with its financial commitment to Palestine.
Mr Fabius was the most hostile to Turkish accession, Mr Strauss-Kahn the most favourable. "The honest solution is to offer them a privileged partnership," Mr Fabius said. "Do we want Turkey in the European Union?" Mr Strauss-Kahn asked. "We must hope for it. It will take a long time," he said - 15 years - but "if Turkey is not tied to Europe, she will swing in the other direction."
Ms Royal said breaking off negotiations with Turkey would betray the commitment of the socialist Jospin government, in which all three were members.