Statements made by the Ministry of Foreign and European Spokesperson (Paris, November 9, 2009)

Commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall
Launch of the factual website “How I experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall”
International Climate Change Negotiations – Barcelona session (November 2-6)
Yemen: incursions on Saudi territory by Houthi rebels
Palestinian Territories

Commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall

I would like to remind you that a major event to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall will take place in the Place de la Concorde tonight. This show, which will be open to the public, was organized on the initiative of Pierre Lellouche, Minister of State responsible for European Affairs and Secretary-General for Franco-German Cooperation, and will be attended by Prime Minister François Fillon.

Werner Hoyer, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office and Secretary-General for Franco-German Cooperation, will also take part in this event which symbolizes France’s determination to play an active role in helping to commemorate an event which is now part of the shared heritage of all Europeans.

If you wish to attend this event, please plan to arrive by 6:30 PM.

Launch of the factual website “How I experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall”

To help commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs launched a website called “How I experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall” (www.mur-berlin-2009.eu) on November 8.

In order bring this historical period of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of a divided European continent to life, the site gives a series of portraits in which the subjects respond to 3 questions, drawing on their personal memories, what they read about the event and their analysis of the impact of the event 20 years after it took place. The interviews are accompanied by archive images from INA (NationalInstitute for the Audiovisual Sector). The site therefore gives priority to the privacy of the individuals with regard to their trust, emotions, personal experiences and the event.

Those interviewed include for example, Jacques Delors, former President of the European Commission, the journalist, Philippe Rochot, Ambassador Stéphane Hessel, diplomats, and military officers who had first hand experience of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

 

International Climate Change Negotiations – Barcelona session (November 2-6)

The Barcelona Climate Change Negotiations session, the last session before the Copenhagen Conference, finished on Friday, November 6.

The French delegation was led by Brice Lalonde, Ambassador responsible for Climate Negotiations, accompanied by Laurence Tubiana, Directorof Global Public Goods within the Directorate-General for Globalization at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, and Paul Watkinson, Head of Climate Negotiation Team at the Ministry of Ecology, Energy and Sustainable Development.

This session allowed significant progress to be made concerning the various technical components, with fewer and more specific options regarding all of the items in the Bali Action Plan.

Negotiations, of a more political nature, are now beginning, in particular with regard to the Kyoto Protocol, the United States’ status in the system (it is currently not part of the protocol), the commitment of emerging countries, the choice of options on the table for the main components of the negotiations and, lastly, the legal form that the Copenhagen agreement will take.

Based on these elements and the discussions in progress, we are still concerned with obtaining an agreement in Copenhagen that includes:

- ambitious emission reduction commitments by all developed countries
- appropriate measures to slow down these emissions in developing countries,
- and a financial agreement to help developing countries to reduce their emissions and adapt to climate change.

At the Barcelona Conference, the EU reaffirmed and developed the key points of its position based on the conclusions from the most recent European Council meeting.

The negotiations will now enter their final phase with the ministerial meeting to prepare for the Copenhagen Conference on November 16 and 17 which will be accompanied by several political and diplomatic contracts to help achieve a broad and ambitious political agreement.

 

Yemen: incursions on Saudi territory by Houthi rebels

We were very concerned to learn of the incursions on Saudi territory by Houthi rebels from Yemen and the violence that followed which resulted in several casualties among the Saudi security forces.

We utterly condemn all violations against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia.

Regarding the ongoing conflict in Yemen, we reaffirm our demand for the immediate cessation of fighting and for a political settlement which will allow the restoration of peace, stability and Yemeni State authority throughout its territory.

Palestinian Territories

Do you believe that it is no longer possible to maintain a sanitary cordon around Hamas? That reconciliation, the format of which remains to be determined, is now necessary?

France does not conduct direct dialogue with Hamas.

As Bernard Kouchner stated, we would be willing to have direct talks with Hamas, once their movement respects the peace process.

Once again we urge the Hamas leaders to take clear steps in this direction from today; this is the only way to guarantee the Palestinian people a future of peace, dignity and prosperity.