Middle East
Iran/ Clotilde Reiss
Iran/ Nuclear
Middle East
Q - Can you comment on the tour being made by Mr. Mitchell, the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East?
Concerning Mr. Mitchell’s tour, I think it is a positive tour because it falls within the framework of the American government’s efforts to trigger the dynamics for resuming negotiations in the Middle East. I think that it is helpful to see President Obama’s Special Envoy, to meet all the actors, to try and get things moving. We support Mr. Mitchell’s efforts and it is with this in mind that the President of the Republic suggested the idea of organizing a conference around the Union for the Mediterranean, which would be expanded to include the countries of the region, and the Quartet countries, in order to help restart the process. Everything that moves in this direction is therefore positive, including, of course, the U.S. Special Envoy’s mission.
Furthermore, we are well aware of the basis for and objectives of restarting the process, i.e. the creation of a viable, democratic Palestinian State, living in peace alongside Israel and we also understand the urgency of restarting this process. I would like to reiterate the President of the Republic’s proposal for a conference. 10 days ago, President Abbas was received here in Paris and, of course, we demonstrated our support for anything that could help restart this process. This is now, more than ever, our objective.
Q - You said that there was an urgent need to resolve the Palestinian problem and you spoke about this famous conference that the President of the Republic called for. Since the conference is due to take place in a month and a half and is meant to bring together more than 45 countries, has France begun its preparations?
We are working on this with all of our contacts in the region. Do you remember what the President of the Republic said in his speech at the start of the Foreign Ministry’s fall session? He indicated that this conference could not take place until the settlement issue had been resolved. The important thing is to expand our contacts and to mobilize as much positive energy as possible to achieve this result. We are continuously moving towards this goal.
Q - France’s position on this matter is very clear. The settlements constitute a major obstacle to any progress in the peace process, be it the organization of a conference or a direct meeting between all of the actors.
You know our position regarding the settlements.
I will reread what the President of the Republic said to the Ambassadors on August 26, “If progress is made with regard to the freezing of settlements, France, together with Egypt, with the agreement of the Swedish EU Presidency and in consultation with the United States, will invite all the member countries of the Union for the Mediterranean to hold a second summit this fall that would accompany the resumption of all three tracks of the peace negotiations.
Iran/ Clotilde Reiss
Q - Clotilde Reiss has been at the French Embassy for a month. Can you give us any information about her daily routine? Does she leave the embassy? Does she go for walks in the town? Do you have any information about an imminent decision by the Iranian authorities?
First of all I would like to remind you that Bernard Kouchner spoke about the situation of our compatriot a few days ago.
Concerning her daily routine, as you know, she is under the protection of our embassy in Tehran awaiting the Iranian courts’ judgment.
This prompts me to reaffirm that we are expecting a swift decision which we fervently hope will take account of the innocence of our compatriot with regard to the crimes that she is accused of.
Q - How does she spend her days?
Iran/ Nuclear
Q - Yesterday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Hassan Ghashghavi, talked about negotiations based on the Iranian offers. Javier Solana is emphasizing the European demands and those of the Six. Iran, through the voice of Ali Salehi, refuses to freeze uranium enrichment. Stephen Chu, the American Secretary of Energy thinks this is a quite positive offer. Pierre Lellouche said that he was not very optimistic, and was indeed concerned. What is your analysis of these points?
You should also remember what Bernard Kouchner said yesterday evening at the General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels regarding the Iranian issue. Concerning this issue, Mr. Solana announced that he will meet with the political directors of the “E3+3” group and the Iranian negotiator, Mr. Jalili on October 1st. We are hoping that the October 1st meeting will make it possible to establish the conditions for the start of negotiations on the Iranian enrichment program. It is up to Iran to regain the international community’s trust in its nuclear program and it’s up to Iran to show that it’s ready to talk seriously about these sensitive activities. We hope, once again, that Iran will swiftly choose cooperation and not isolation. We are therefore expecting concrete gestures from Iran on October 1st.
Q - For several weeks the focus has been on talks between the Six and other parties aimed at strengthening sanctions against Iran. Do the negotiations now mean that the exchanges aimed at establishing new sanctions will be suspended?
I think that the October 1st meeting should really be an opportunity to discuss and attempt to truly get to the heart of the issue – which up until now has not really been the case – and to seriously discuss the issues on the table.
We hope, once again, that Iran will swiftly choose cooperation and not isolation. We only consider strengthening sanctions in the event that Iran makes the wrong decision.
Q - Mr. Ahmadinejad confirmed his willingness to hold direct talks with Barack Obama; during the UN General Assembly next week in New York, could there be exchanges at the highest level between France and Iran regarding the nuclear issue or the issue of Clotilde Reiss?
Concerning contact with the American president, I have not seen his response. The President of the Republic and our minister will go to New York. We will present Mr. Kouchner’s New York program by the end of the week. We are currently finalizing it.