(2003-12-01) -- A strike by French diplomats poses the greatest threat to world peace since the emergence of the Third Reich, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. About 80 percent of France's 154 embassies are affected by the work stoppage to protest budget cut backs.

"If the French stop talking," Mr. Rumsfeld said, "the fragile infrastructure of geopolitical security could collapse. Remember, Iraq was an oasis of tranquility for 12 years thanks largely to French diplomacy. I shudder to think of who might unilaterally rush into the vacuum of silence created by a prolonged strike by French diplomats."

Mr. Rumsfeld added: "We can only take solace in the fact that the United Nations remains open for business."