Daily Press Briefing
Statements made by
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson
(excerpts)
(Paris, February 13, 2006)
[Please note that only the original French text issued by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs may be considered official.]
LEBANON
I will read the statement by Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy:
“On the eve of the anniversary of the heinous attack which killed Rafik Hariri and 15 other people, my thoughts go out to his widow, children and loved ones. I say it solemnly: This crime cannot remain unpunished. France and the international community want the full truth about this attack in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.
“We fully support the international commission of inquiry led by Serge Brammetz and we expect in addition complete clarification of the other attacks that have stained Lebanon in blood.
“We stand by the side of the Lebanese government in its efforts to restore Lebanon’s full sovereignty, integrity and independence.”
I will read the letter that Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy has sent to Aida Duvaltier’s husband:
“I have just learned with profound sadness about the discovery of the remains of your wife. Although the formal identification has not yet been made at this time, the indications concur sufficiently for us to believe that the body is indeed that of Aida Duvaltier. On behalf of the French government and personally, I offer you and your daughter my very sincere condolences. The courage and selflessness she showed in the circumstances of her abduction are deeply moving and give a particularly tragic dimension to her death.
“Barely two weeks ago in Bogotá we had discussed together, with your daughter, your wife’s disappearance, and I conveyed to you at the time the solidarity of the French authorities in the ordeal you had suffered for nearly five years.
“The unhappy outcome of her abduction and detention reflect the extent of Colombia’s tragedy. It encourages us more than ever to persevere to try by every means to restore freedom to all the hostages and prisoners held illegally in Colombia. [Complimentary close].”
We condemn the violence and excesses during the demonstration that took place on Friday, February 10, outside the French Embassy in Teheran. Despite their obligation under the Vienna Convention, the Iranian authorities did not provide adequate protection for our diplomatic mission. The measures set in place belatedly did not prevent the demonstrators from damaging the buildings.
We expect the Iranian authorities to take all necessary measures to prevent a repetition of such unacceptable actions.
The Iranian chargé d’affaires has been summoned to the Ministry Foreign Affairs in order to remind the Iranian authorities of their obligations under the Vienna Convention to which Iran is a signatory.
We are also maintaining close contact with our European Union partners, some of whom also suffered incidents of the same type.
France welcomes the election of Fatmir Sejdiu as president of Kosovo. At this sensitive time, with discussions beginning on Kosovo’s final status, we hope that with the election of President Sejdiu, who has the onerous task of succeeding Ibrahim Rugova, all the negotiators continue to participate constructively in these talks.
Q - Do you have any comment on the appointment/confirmation of the Kuwaiti government these past few days? Do you have any comment on the pluralist trend of this government?
France welcomes the formation of the new government of the Emirate of Kuwait.
Kuwait and France maintain solid and close relations. France took part in the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, and we share with his country a broad convergence of views on the regional and international questions.
The 11th French-Kuwaiti joint commission met in Paris on November 21, reflecting the soundness of our bilateral relations. It was chaired by Economy, Finance and Industry Minister Thierry Breton and Kuwaiti Finance Minister Bader Al Humaidhi. It led to renewed economic exchanges between the two countries and established a climate favorable for investment and the participation of French companies in Kuwaiti’s major development projects.
Q - Iran has started to enrich uranium at Natanz by putting gas into centrifuges, according to diplomatic sources in Vienna. What’s your reaction?
We don’t have IAEA confirmation of that information at this point.
Our position, and that of the international community, on this question is well known. The IAEA board of governors expressed concern February 4 over Iran’s nuclear program and decided to send a report to the UN Security Council.
Iran must suspend its dangerous nuclear activities as requested by the IAEA in order to permit negotiations to resume.
Q - Iran announced Monday it was about to remove the IAEA surveillance seals and cameras at its uranium industrial enrichment plant at Natanz. Do you have any comment?
I refer you to my previous answer. We don’t have confirmation by the IAEA of the information you’re citing./.
Embassy of France, February 13, 2006