Innovative financing
Niger
Middle East peace process
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There will be a high-level meeting on “Innovative Financing for the Millennium Development Goals,” jointly organized by France, Japan and Belgium. This meeting falls within the framework of France’s mobilization with respect to innovative financing. You’ve seen the text of the speech delivered by President Sarkozy yesterday at the United Nations on this topic. You know how much Bernard Kouchner champions this project and to what extent he is mobilized since we organized, on September 1, a meeting of the Leading Group and on that occasion presented the work of this group which agrees on the technical, legal and economic feasibility of a tax on international financial transactions for development.
The mobilization is moving forward. The feasibility of this tax on financial transactions is becoming increasingly clear-cut. As President Sarkozy reiterated yesterday, this will be one of the priorities of the French presidency of the G20 and G8.
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Have you identified AQIM’s message regarding Mauritania which mentions France?
AQIM regularly issues communiqués following clashes with forces from the States in the Sahel region. This communiqué mentions fighting in the region of Timbuktu between the Mauritanian forces and members of AQIM in which no French soldiers participated. It does not contain any reference to the kidnapping of 7 people last week in Arlit.
Are you focusing particular attention on this communiqué especially since there have been rumors of a genuine terrorist threat in France for several days now?
This communiqué does not relate to the terrorist threat in France. AQIM regularly issues communiqués.
France has agreements with certain countries that are not really defense agreements but military cooperation agreements at a less advanced level. Is that the case with the Sahel countries?
We engage in cooperation with the States of the region and in particular with Niger with respect to the fight against terrorism and this cooperation takes the form of assistance for training.
Do you have information allowing you to confirm reports that a high-level delegation which notably included Japanese nationals was AQIM’s original target and that it was only later that they made do with the French citizens at the Arlit site. This information comes to us from Niger.
I don’t have any information to support this rumor.
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I wanted to know if there are still any French citizens in Arlit.
The last expatriates working for the Areva and Vinci groups are due to arrive in Niamey today.
So the mines are closed?
I think that Areva had the opportunity to indicate that these repatriations of employees to Niamey were not likely to jeopardize the operation of the sites in question. […]
What contact have you had with the families of the hostages in Niger?
We are in regular contact with them, as we are every time that we are faced with this type of crisis situation.
Have you advised them on how to deal with the media? […]
We support them in this ordeal and we are in regular contact with them.
Could there be French nationals or other Europeans who haven’t declared themselves, for example botanists who might find themselves in the area without being aware of the warnings?
Given the size of this territory I can’t rule that out.
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What sort of assets have you deployed in Niamey? I know that the Crisis Center here is mobilized, but what about in Niamey itself?
We have deployed a number of surveillance and intelligence systems and this deployment is of course being carried out with the full cooperation of the Nigerien authorities.
Concerning the security conditions of the expatriates in the area a great deal has been said about Bernard Kouchner’s visit there at the end of July and that he indeed asked all of the expatriates to exercise the utmost caution and I imagine that he also said that to the companies that employ these expatriates. Does that mean that Bernard Kouchner’s message wasn’t strong enough or will the fact that it was not acted upon prompt you to intercede with the companies? A law was adopted on Bernard Kouchner’s initiative which could claim reimbursements from people who expose themselves to danger without due consideration in certain areas of the world, particularly in difficult areas. Does this scenario apply to this kidnapping affair?
Regarding the first part of your question, Areva’s continued use of expatriate workers in this region and the associated security system are ultimately left to the company’s discretion, in agreement with the Nigerien authorities.
Concerning the second part of your question, this scenario is not in any way applicable. The people who were kidnapped were present in the area within the framework of their professional activity and did not voluntarily expose themselves to danger. [...]
With respect to the presence of intelligence systems in the region, you just spoke about what there is in Niamey. As far as you know there are no elements in Mali or Burkina Faso?
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We are cooperating with the States in the region in order to fight terrorism. Furthermore, when Bernard Kouchner went to the region in July he visited Niger, Mauritania, and Mali. We are working with these three countries and the others that are concerned by this territory, which is the same size as Europe. Regional and international cooperation is the only way to effectively combat terrorism and the terrorist groups that are operating in this vast territory.
Will it be a long-term cooperation?
Short, medium and long-term.
We see many maps showing AQIM’s area of operation. Do you have an accurate map giving their exact area of operation?
We estimate that there are 400 AQIM members in an area as big as Europe, which makes it harder to combat their actions.
France seems to be distanced from the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. This morning there was a great meeting between young Palestinians and Israelis. Why is France not taking part in the talks to promote peace in the Middle East?
You can’t say that France is distanced from it. It is fully mobilized in the search for peace in the Middle East. The Minister wanted the EU to be more involved in this process and wrote to Catherine Ashton to that end. Intense consultations are being held in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, particularly on the Middle East. The Quartet is meeting in New York today and will issue a statement on this topic.
What is preventing the EU from being present at the talks?
Bernard Kouchner expressed the wish that Europe play a greater political role in this process. I invite you to take note of the statement from the Quartet today in New York which will establish an important position. The European Council also voiced its opinion very clearly last week on the Middle East.
Has there been a response from Catherine Ashton to this letter from Bernard Kouchner?
The European Council voiced its opinion last week on the Middle East and reaffirmed that the EU wished to be a leading political player and not just a financial contributor.
And we don’t know why the EU no longer has a role in these negotiations?
There are many ways to influence the peace process that is in progress in the Middle East. The EU assumes its full role but it must play a greater role.
Who is reluctant to give a growing role to the EU?
I don’t think there is any reluctance, I really think that the EU is a major partner for peace in the Middle East, but it should play a greater role in the months and years to come. Within the Quartet it is already a major player.
In the future negotiations on Jerusalem, France has many monasteries and other buildings, according to an article in Le Figaro last week. France is the foreign State that currently has the most property in Jerusalem. We therefore have a keen interest in the negotiations on the future status since we will be part of it. What role is our Consulate General in East Jerusalem playing in the future status? We could end up with French buildings on the Palestinian and the Israeli side.
The issue relating to the status of Jerusalem should be settled by the parties. It will be part of the comprehensive agreement that we are calling for. We don’t have any concerns regarding the fate of property that we own based on historical legacy, and I don’t think that poses the slightest problem. Our Consulate General is not participating in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiation even though of course like us in Paris he is monitoring it closely. The participants are the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Jean-Claude Cousseran visited several countries. Do you have the initial conclusions of these visits?
Within the framework of the mission entrusted to him by President Sarkozy and Bernard Kouchner, Jean-Claude Cousseran visited Syria last week where he was received by President Bashar al-Assad; before that he visited Israel. He will soon visit Turkey. It is too soon to draw any lessons from these various meetings. We need to wait until he has completed all of the planned visits in order to be able to make an initial assessment and draw the conclusions from it.