ONE
‘I am fluent in over seven languages’ Adrian Smith, Foreign Office Minister said, ‘but I prefer to speak in my own native tongue.’
‘I do not mind’ replied the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, ‘I am always happy to speak your language.’
Smith gave the French Minister Jean-Marie Claude his best smile. Despite this, his eyes could not hide his hatred for his French counterpart.
Smith pulled out his blackberry, raising it to his face and then quickly slotted it back into the inside of his suit.
‘Excellent’ he replied.
He paused for a brief second trying to capture control
‘Then we can get this meeting out of the way, can’t we?’ he said in a dismissive manner.
Smith had known Jean-Marie for the later part of his political life. What he learned about Jean-Marie during his career in politics was that Jean-Marie was ruthless.
He was born in La Tronche in Rhône-Alpes region, in France. The son of a waiter from the Hotel Grenoble, he came from humble beginnings. A very gifted student of politics and maths he advanced through school succeeding to enter the French business school ESCP Europe in 1980. Upon graduating, he started to work as a member of the staff of the Gaullist ministers in the late 1980s. He made a name for himself during the Gaullist period. Elected to the French National Assembly at 27 he quick rose through the ranks to become a deputy for the Savoie département. By the late eighties, under the banner of the Neo-Gaullist Rally for the Republic he served in this function until 1998.
Disillusioned with French politics Jean joined the Union for a Popular Movement and rapidly rose to be a driving force within the European People's Party gaining a reputation for delivering on his promises both to the people and to the bureaucrats of France and Europe. With his reputation secure, he launched his European career gaining a post as the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services.
It was here that Smith first met Jean-Marie. Smith was trying to get a series of European loans to get a large supermarket to move into his parliamentary constituency of Ladywood, Birmingham. Jean-Marie personally rejected the loan application. A series of meetings followed but Smith failed to get the loans issued or agreed. This almost caused him to be defeated in the following election and certainly put his political career back some 10 years as a result.
Jean-Marie went onto a series of successes in European politics. Promoted to Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries his career continued to develop while Smith remained a backbencher.
Further success followed in which Jean-Marie joined the French cabinet after the large victory of his party in the 2009 legislative elections. He was rewarded with the post of Minister of the Environment a short time later. Three years later, after the election of a new President of France, he became Secretary of State for French and European Affairs.
After seeing Jean-Marie again in the flesh, memories of his career almost destroyed came back to him. With his dark black hair, cut short in an almost military manner, Jean-Marie certainly looked younger than Smith did. He also had an entirely different life from Smith. Jean-Marie had a wife that was almost young enough to be his daughter and he certainly looked like a man of action. Smith meanwhile had a wife that looked like a horse and acted more like his housekeeper than a lover.
As Smith met his foe, he could see beneath the line of his shirt and tie and the movement of his muscles as now and again they stretched his shirt stretched while walking towards him to shake his hand.
Smith meanwhile had been piling on the fat. When naked he could not help think how he looked like a fat whale as opposed Jean-Marie who looked like the perfect aging politician. Smith realised he would have to keep himself in check if he was to get through this meeting and not let his guard down.
For Jean-Marie, Smith was a big danger. He possessed a stillness that upset him somewhat. The English they never showed their feelings or emotions. This made them very hard to work out. Jean could not help think that Smith looked more like a picture than the real thing. His rounded nose only served to intensify Smith’s peculiarity to Jean-Marie. It was if no one was at home and all that remained was a man that was impassive and focused only on the facts, or the ‘net benefit’ as Smith used to call it. His eyes were like the smog that drifted across the London skyline, filthy grey and soulless. He thought that if he never saw this miserable excuse for a man again that would be too soon.
Despite this Jean-Marie, knew he needed to get agreement today if he was to be successful. Smith had hinted that he was able to deliver what Jean-Marie was desperate to get. What Jean-Marie could not understand was what Smith wanted in return. There was always a quid-pro in these deals and both men knew that they would have to help each other out if they were to get what they wanted. They both knew what both sides offered would not be pain-free. One of them would have to give more than the other if they were to agree a deal.
Smith meanwhile hoped that the deal would provide him with the political capital that he needed to restore his prestige and maximise his powerbase within Whitehall and No. 10.
‘Smith, you appear distracted’, Jean-Marie said.
‘Nothing could be further, from the truth. It is good to see you again my old friend’.
‘You have my full attention’.
Smith went onto outline the advantages of such a deal. They would benefit France and the United Kingdom he went onto explain. To Jean-Marie it was just words. What he was interested in was getting something permanent, something that was sustainable.
Smith noticed Jean-Marie look at his watch. He realised that he was not selling the idea well.
‘Jean you are aware of some of the ideas that China’s diplomats are trying to float around the UN and the Middle East?’
With the mention of China, Jean-Marie’s face-hardened. He felt like someone had thrown dog shit all over him.
‘My point Jean, is that we will stop the President and the Chinese if we need to, but we need your unofficial support otherwise our friends are not going to support some of your ideas to get us out of this depression.’
Smith did not want to waste time asking Jean-Marie's view of the Chinese President or the Chinese nation, there had been enough French opposition to make it abundantly clear to the blind, deaf and dumb that French political and diplomatic moves would not change the Chinese Presidents views or policies of the west.
China's breakneck progress as an economic superpower and the rise of the current President of China had attracted the attention of the French government and its secret services over the last few years.
China's rise to the most powerful and richest nation in the world had been breath taking. Its expanding economic influence had placed China steadfast in destroying the economic and political status quo of the west by using its economic powerbase as opposed its military arsenal and economic dominance.
This threatened to destroy the important position France had established herself as the economic and military leader of the European Union backed by a diplomatic alliance with the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Smith and Jean Marie would find it hard not to argue that the rise of China was not good for the global economy. New wealth for China’s 1.3 billion people meant that 1.3 billion more people who could buy goods and services from the rest of the world, maintaining and creating new jobs across Europe and North America.
Yet Jean Marie and the French Government did not see China that way. Jean Marie and the French Government focused on the jobs China has “stolen” as opposed the jobs it had created. The French agonised that the world economy was too dependent on China for its growth. They worried that China would use its economic advantage to put economic pressure on Europe and the United States to dictate the pace of change within the Middle East. This pace of change would be dictated by China and not by the west and the international community.
In other words, China challenged not just today’s economic orthodoxy and order, but the world’s political and military framework as well. This forced France to look at innovative plans to undermine China and destroy its dominance of the Middle East and its valuable oil and gas resources.
Jean Marie continued the conversation
‘OK so let’s say you do make him change his mind, what do you want in return?’
At this point for the first time since Jean-Marie had known Smith, he saw a twinkle in his eye. It was almost as though the devil had just winked at him.
‘I know that look Jean, you are expecting the worse. Well if we get rid of the Chinese problem then we would like you to get rid of Abdulla Megahit from Clairvaux Prison.
‘Of course you want rid of him, the man is an Islamic radical as well as a menace to your country. He orchestrated the bombings in London and Glasgow’.
‘Attempting to terminate him in a French prison would be political suicide.’
‘Of course no-one in MI5 has been able to find a scrap of evidence that ties him to these acts of war’.
‘Of course I do not doubt you, and I am sure that your best people and the American torture machine in Guantanamo Bay detention camp have not been able to pull out any legal evidence’.
A sudden smile came over Jean-Marie's face. An envelope appeared. In it was a series of bank statements, e-mails and strategy papers sent by Megahit to contacts in Bradford, Glasgow and London.
‘Then you will find this quite helpful.’ Said Jean-Marie as he mischievously passed it to Smith.
‘Five days ago, we completed the final phase of a drug bust in Marseille. This was one we had been working on for just over six months because a Russian mafia cell had been operating out of Marseille distributing Afghan Opium.
We were entirely successful in this operation and in the final analysis of the evidence; we found one of the dead drug lords had an unencrypted laptop. Most of it contained porn and other things. However, we also found something else.
The information you are now reading came straight from his hard drive’
Smith could not believe what he was reading. This would allow the United Kingdom to extradite Megahit and bring him before a British judge.
Smith could not believe his luck. He thought they would have to get the French to kill him in Prison, this way all would look fair and bring about Megahit’s fall.
‘This money trail was financed by the Society of Muslim Brothers for which Megahit is the leader. Money from this went on to buy the very vehicle involved in the Glasgow bombings and even the train tickets used by the London Bombers.
‘Megahit is also due to end his prison sentence in June’ He is free to go then so if you were to present this evidence to our government then we would be left with no option but to extradite him to your country.’
‘Ok’ said Jean-Marie, ‘However we want you to stage some form of terrorist attack on the Chinese President to bring down his government.
‘We do not care how you do it we just want you to weaken the Chinese. We want you to force the Chinese Government to turn away from controlling the peace process within the Middle East. If can turn their attention away that will allow France, the United States and you British to continue to dominate the region and its useful oil and gas resource and in return we will give you Megahit.’
Smith paused for a second or two, then gave his answer
‘Agreed’
The two men then leaned over the table and concluded the meeting with a firm and concrete grip.