France encourages the holding of a meeting of the International Contact Group with all parties in Madagascar
Biological weapons
France encourages the holding of a meeting of the International Contact Group with all parties in Madagascar
France recognizes and pays tribute to the efforts undertaken by the international mediators and the representatives of the various Madagascan political groups to help implement the Maputo and Addis Ababa agreements.
It regrets however that the “resolutions” signed on December 8 by the three Madagascan leaders present in Maputo deviate from the consensual framework set forth in these agreements. As such, France fully shares the opinion expressed, on December 7, by the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, which has asked the Madagascan parties to “find a solution to the current deadlock in strict compliance with the Maputo agreements and the Addis Ababa Additional Act.”
The agreements signed in Maputo and Addis Ababa by the leaders of the four groups established the conditions for the future transition which should lead to elections as swiftly as possible and constitutes the only framework for a peaceful and consensual resolution to the Madagascan political crisis.
Within this context, France encourages the international mediation team and in particular the African Union, to convene a high-level International Contact Group meeting in Antananarivo as soon as possible in order to remove the final obstacles to implementing the Maputo and Addis Ababa agreements. In addition, the meeting of this group will respond to the request for international assistance issued in the statements given by the leaders in Maputo.
What is France’s reaction to the Obama administration’s desire to strengthen the effectiveness of the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention, but without relaunching negotiations on a binding verification mechanism?
We take note of the statement made by the United States on Wednesday at the meeting of the States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and of the American administration’s position, in particular their continued reservations regarding the development of a verification protocol.
We understand that, over the last few months, this position was the subject of a technical and political review by all of the American administration departments involved in monitoring the BWC. This review, which is still in progress, has already led to certain decisions, including the decision not to accept the development of a verification protocol to the Convention. The importance given to the BWC by the American administration, and in particular, its desire to work on transparency and compliance with the provisions of the Convention by the States Parties, are for us positive things.
We should not however forget the fundamental importance of developing a verification protocol to the BWC, the only way to strengthen the effectiveness of its implementation.
France actively participates in the work of the BWC, and therefore has a heightened awareness of the challenges associated with the fight against the development of biological weapons. In addition, these challenges are consistent with improving global health security and strengthening security to address biological threats, whether this relates to prevention or countermeasures. We attach considerable importance to finding additional ways to effectively assess compliance with the obligations of the Convention by the States Parties. With this in mind, we are continuing to engage in close dialogue with the other States Parties, in particular with the United States.
Let us also not forget that, to date, only 163 countries are party to the BWC, and that its universalization remains a major challenge. We therefore invite all the States that have not yet done so to sign and ratify this Convention.