Daily Press Briefing
Statements made by
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson
(excerpts)
(Paris, May 9, 2006)
[Please note that only the original French text issued by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs may be considered official.]
SUDAN/DARFUR
France welcomes the agreement signed on May 5 in Abuja, which represents an important step toward the return of peace in Darfur. The Sudanese government and the main rebel movement courageously seized this unique opportunity to restore peace in Darfur and to resolve the fundamental aspects of this crisis. The rebel movements in Darfur that have not yet done so must join in this dynamic.
France pays tribute to the African Union for its ceaseless efforts throughout the mediation process and for its work on the ground through its African Mission in Sudan (AMIS). France also thanks other actors within the international community that lent their full support to the process. To support the AU’s mediation efforts, France sent a special envoy, Ambassador Henri de Coignac, to Abuja at the beginning of the process.
The time has now come for the immediate, integral implementation of the agreement. The cease-fire, in particular, must be strictly respected. It is time to guarantee humanitarian access to the victims of this conflict in order to permit the return of refugees and displaced persons as soon as possible.
Q - What is the status of efforts to hold a certain number of people accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity? I saw statements two days ago threatening to try certain rebels for war crimes.
To my knowledge, the Sanctions Committee identified a certain number of individuals. In the case you mention in particular, referring to the International Criminal Court, I have no recent information.
As you know, the foreign ministers meeting in New York will discuss the situation in Darfur, and notably the contribution of a multilateral peacekeeping force.
On May 15, at 9:30 A.M., Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy will preside over a press conference at the Quai d’Orsay devoted to “France in the world: culture, language, education, development: What is going to change,” attended by figures from the cultural and development communities.
The foreign minister will present measures for simplifying and streamlining intervention mechanisms in the cultural and educational fields to improve the effectiveness and clarity of our efforts abroad. He will announce public-private partnerships that are developing at his behest, to strengthen our ability to intervene on the international scene.
On this occasion, an agreement will be signed by the foreign minister and Denis Ranque, the president of Thalès, making official their joint resolve to promote French higher education abroad.
Q - Have you finally been informed of the content of the Iranian president’s letter to the American president?
That content is known; it was one of the subjects discussed yesterday evening. The foreign ministers and the Security Council are working on the subject, as you know. […]
Q - So was the American decision not to follow up on the dialogue offer contained in the letter also discussed yesterday by the foreign ministers, or was it a decision taken solely by the U.S.?
As far as I know, there was only an informational briefing yesterday evening. The decision was a decision by the American authorities, so I suggest you approach them with your questions. […]
Q - What’s the foreign minister’s schedule since yesterday? Whom has he met and whom is he going to meet?
We presented his schedule last week. He will meet with the UN Secretary-General, several of his counterparts including the Egyptian and Chinese foreign ministers, and the Swedish foreign minister, Mr. Eliasson, who is also president of the UN General Assembly. There will also be a dinner with Condoleezza Rice today. Those are the main meetings. There will also be a meeting with the new British foreign minister, since as you know, Jack Straw has been replaced.
Q - Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, who was in Paris last week, gave a press conference in which he said that regardless of the disagreements or problems between the United States and France in the past, now the United States and France are working hand in hand and the U.S. could not hope for a better partner on the international political scene than France. The enthusiasm of his statement is really quite extraordinary. Is that sentiment totally shared by France, and can you tell us what issues are continuing to pose problems?
There’s nothing surprising about that statement, as Tom Ridge, in charge of the fight against terrorism, was himself the first to say that France was the best partner he had, even during the time of the bilateral difficulties between France and the U.S. over Iraq. So I would say that Mr. Burns’s statement is completely in line with previous statements by the American authorities on the fight against terrorism. In fact, you saw that there were a certain number of quite solid cooperative efforts between France and the U.S. at the UN. I would take the example of the Lebanon situation and everything that was agreed on vis-à-vis that situation in New York. There is close cooperation on many subjects, in fact, which helps foster stability and contributes to resolving conflicts on many subjects that concern us today. That’s what we can say about Mr. Burns’s statements, which were certainly noted.
Q - I have a question about Ankara’s recall of its ambassador to France because of a bill that if adopted could permit criminal prosecution of anyone denying the genocide or genocidal nature of the massacres of Armenians during the WWI era. What is your reaction to this recall? How do you plan on responding and what do you think of the bill? Could it hurt French-Turkish relations?
As for the recall of the ambassador, that decision is up to the Turkish authorities. I have no particular comment to make. You will have simply noted, as I did, that the Turkish authorities themselves indicated that the ambassador would return to Paris very soon.
As for the bill, it’s a parliamentary initiative and I invite you to contact those in the parliament who introduced it.
Q - And what about its possible consequences?
Hard to say for the time being. We are following the situation and the reaction of the Turkish authorities with great interest.
Q - Once again, the Algerian president called on France to apologize to the Algerian people. Here too he used the words “genocide” and “genocidal” in talking about French colonization. Do you have any reaction?
We understand, from remarks that were made, that there is a common will to move forward and strengthen bilateral relations. That too was discussed. It remains the objective of the French authorities, as the foreign minister indicated during his recent trip to Algiers.
Q - Concerning the upcoming Quartet meeting, it seems that three Arab countries will be attending: Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. Will they be there merely as observers, or were they invited to participate?
I have seen reports mentioning this possibility. I don’t know in what specific framework these partners and perhaps others were invited to consult with the Quartet. But as you know, there is an important Quartet meeting today in New York to consider how to continue helping the Palestinian people. In this context, the Quartet chose to hear several views and opinions. As you know, we are not members of the Quartet as such, because we are represented by the EU. I therefore have no further comment to make. We will have to wait for the end of today’s meeting in New York to know what’s what./.
Embassy of France, May 9, 2006