Visit by Bernard Kouchner to Lebanon and Syria
American-Russian bilateral process to reduce nuclear arsenals
Visit by Bernard Kouchner to Lebanon and Syria
Bernard Kouchner will visit Lebanon and Syria from July 9 to 12.
In Lebanon, the minister will meet with Mr. Sleiman, as well as with Mr. Siniora, Mr. Berri and Mr. Hariri. He is also scheduled to have meetings with representatives from the majority and opposition parties. These meetings will make it possible to take stock of the situation following the legislative elections, the smooth running of which Bernard Kouchner welcomed. The minister will also broach Franco-Lebanese issues as well as regional issues with his discussion partners.
On Saturday, July 11, Bernard Kouchner will go to Damascus where he will be received by President Bashar al-Assad. He will also meet with his counterpart, Walid al-Mouallem to discuss regional issues, ranging from the peace process, developments in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon. The strengthening of Franco-Syrian relations will also be discussed.
The minister will also go to Damascus to chair the regional French Ambassadors’ Conference, which will provide an opportunity to reflect on the changes in our Middle East policy and the contribution that France and the European Union can make to political stability in the region.
For some time now we have been talking of Franco-Syrian relations in the economic field. There have been a number of visits. What is the status of key issues such as the contracts with Airbus, which were delayed due to the American elections and the “ Syria Act,” and other Lafarge infrastructure projects?
Firstly, it is important to stress that this visit will take place a year after the resumption of relations at the highest of level. You remember that President Bashar al-Assad came to Paris for the Union for the Mediterranean Summit. On that occasion a number of meetings took place that were politically very important for the region. Since then, the French President has made visits to Syria and there have also been other exchanges. The Secretary General of the Elysee Palace and the diplomatic advisor to the French President were there last week. We have gradually strengthened dialogue with Syria because we think that that country can play a major role in the region and that it can be influential in terms of making progress towards peace in the region.
And with regard to the economic issues?
There is progress on the economic issues but there is also progress concerning Franco-Syrian relations in general.
How will the meetings with the representatives from the majority and opposition parties take place?
There will be meetings at the French Embassy. I don’t think that there are any meetings scheduled with all of the political actors at the same time. The schedule is being finalized; we will provide you with the final version in due course.
Which political figures will be at the meetings?
The President of the Lebanese Republic, the current Prime Minister, the President of Parliament, and the Prime Minister-elect. There will probably be meetings with the representatives from civil society, as is often the case when Bernard Kouchner goes to Lebanon and elsewhere.
Does France’s approach vis-à-vis Syria always aim to separate Syria from Iran or is France demanding that the Syrians strive for mediation on the nuclear issue, and other issues are then added to it?
We were extremely impressed by the opening up of diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria, and the appointment and exchange of respective ambassadors. These are significant gestures in terms of stability in the region. We believe that Syria can play a role in achieving peace in the entire region. This is why we have decided to strengthen dialogue with Syria.
Can isolating Iran also help achieve stability in the region?
We are maintaining a dialogue with Iran, in particular within the framework of the E3+3 and we are not seeking any kind of isolation. By not complying with its commitments with regard to the UN Security Council resolutions and the reports of the IAEA Director General, Iran is putting itself in a position of isolation. I have repeatedly stressed that Iran is a very important player in the region. However, there are international obligations and Iran must comply with them.
American-Russian bilateral process to reduce nuclear arsenals
France welcomes the United States and Russia’s signature in Moscow of a joint declaration on reducing their nuclear arsenals. This declaration is an important step towards reaching a new bilateral agreement on reducing their strategic offensive arms, intended to replace the START Treaty.
We support the continuation of the bilateral US-Russian process to reduce nuclear arsenals. The European Union affirmed the importance of this process in its Action Plan on Disarmament adopted under the French presidency in preparation for the 2010 Review Conference on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
Further reductions in the nuclear arsenals of Russia and the United States would represent significant progress in nuclear disarmament, insofar as these two countries still possess almost 95% of the world’s nuclear weapons stocks. The reductions would also send a very positive sign to the NPT Review Conference.
We are following the bilateral US-Russian process to reduce nuclear arsenals with all the more interest since France has taken irreversible decisions in this area that are unmatched by the other nuclear powers. France was, together with the United Kingdom, the first nuclear- weapon State to ratify, 11 years ago already, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT); France is the only State to have dismantled all of its ground-to-ground missiles. We have reduced our overall arsenal and taken several measures to reduce the operational levels of alert of our nuclear forces so that they are kept at the lowest level possible, in order to maintain deterrence credibility. We ceased production of fissile material in 1992 for plutonium and in 1996 for uranium; we introduced a moratorium on the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons; France was the first State to have decided to close and dismantle its installations for producing fissile material for explosive purposes; France is the only State to have dismantled, in a way that was transparent and open to the international community, its nuclear test-sites in the Pacific.
We have come a long way in the last 10 years and the President of the Republic stressed his willingness for France to actively contribute, though concrete measures, towards disarmament. He therefore announced some significant measures in Cherbourg in March 2008:
- a one third reduction of the number of missiles, aircraft and nuclear warheads in the airborne component;
- the announcement of the overall limit of our nuclear arsenal (less than 300 nuclear weapons);
- an invitation for international experts to come and witness the dismantlement of our former production installations;
- innovative and ambitious proposals for the continuation of disarmament.
These commitments proved successful. We organized three visits to our former installations for the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons: on September 16 for more than 40 Member States of the Conference on Disarmament, on March 16 for more than 20 non-governmental experts and on July 3 for journalists. This is the first time that a nuclear-weapon State has opened up its former military production installations. Such a gesture is particularly significant since the Conference on Disarmament has just adopted, on May 29, a work program which will finally allow negotiations to begin on a treaty known as the “Cut-off Treaty.”
In addition, at the instigation of the French presidency of the European Union, Europe was able, for the first time, to speak with one voice with regard to disarmament. Thus, in preparation for the 2010 NPT Review Conference, it proposed an ambitious action plan for disarmament, endorsed by the Heads of State and Government at the European Council meeting in December 2008. This European plan broadly covers proposals made by the President of the Republic in Cherbourg in March. As you know the President of the Republic announced this EU action plan to the UN Secretary General on December 5, 2008.
We would like all States join with the EU to promote and implement this action plan between now and the NPT Review Conference. We can only make progress towards disarmament if the desire to make progress is shared by everyone. The continuation of nuclear disarmament is dependent on trust, transparency and reciprocity.