International Donors Conference for Haiti (New York, March 31)
Burma
Middle East
Arab League Summit in Sirta
International Donors Conference for Haiti (New York, March 31)
The International Donors’ Conference Towards a New Future for Haiti is to take place on Wednesday, March 31, at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York. It has been organized by the UN and the United States along with the government of Haiti. The conference is co-chaired by Brazil, Canada, Spain, France and the European Union.
France will be represented by its Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Bernard Kouchner. The minister will attend a working breakfast hosted for the co-chairs by the U.S. secretary of state in the presence of Haitian President René Préval. Following the opening of the conference, Bernard Kouchner will speak as co-chair and then attend the presentation of reports on the preparatory conferences. After the working lunch hosted by the UN secretary-general, the minister will chair the session devoted to financial commitments and take part in the co-chairs’ press conference. He will also have separate meetings, notably with Charles Michel, Belgian cooperation minister, and Helen Clark, administrator of the United Nations Development Program.
The aim of this conference is to mobilize international aid to meet the development needs of Haiti. The Haitian government will present its vision for the future and explain how international aid can help achieve it. Countries, international organizations and other partners will have the opportunity to contribute resources, coordinate their support for the “Action Plan for the Reconstruction and National Development of Haiti” and engage in sustained efforts to support that country. The Minister will recall France’s position of principle on the reconstruction of Haiti: driven by the Haitians for the Haitians; based on a long-term vision with a view to changing the criteria for town and country planning in Haiti; and supported by a highly coordinated group of donors.
At France’s initiative, this donors’ conference has been preceded by four preparatory meetings. In Port-au-Prince, Washington, Brussels and Fort-de-France, private companies, Haitian diaspora communities, local government authorities and NGOs have met to draw up proposals, which will be presented at UN Headquarters.
I remind you that since the earthquake France has made huge efforts to help Haiti and has already announced a plan to assist the country’s reconstruction and financial aid amounting to €326 million over two years:
- cancellation of its bilateral debt to France (€56 million)
- budgetary aid (€40 million),
- aid in kind (essentially supply of vehicles – €40 million)
- additional project aid (€100 million)
- French share of the EU’s €330 million allocation (€65 million)
- emergency aid (€25 million).
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France is very troubled by the Burmese junta’s persistent refusal to give its people the basic right to control their destiny. The electoral laws promulgated three weeks ago do not create the conditions for a process open to all political players. The National League for Democracy had no choice but to withdraw, given that the junta refused to hear calls for dialogue with the opposition.
The electoral laws proposed by the junta clearly ignore the imperatives of freedom and transparency with respect to elections. The process under way can have no legitimacy in the eyes of the international community. By acting in this way, the Burmese junta is depriving its people of a democratic rendezvous awaited for more than 20 years, and a crucial step in this country’s return to the international community.
We demand that the Burmese authorities choose dialogue and respect for democracy, rather than engaging in a dead-end political crackdown whose main victim is the Burmese people. At Bernard Kouchner’s request, it was this message of firmness that was delivered to the Burmese authorities on France’s behalf by human rights ambassador François Zimeray, currently on a mission to Rangoon.
We renew our call for the release of all political prisoners including Aung San Suu Kyi, in the interest of national reconciliation in Burma.
This is what is contained in the resolution on human rights violations in Burma adopted last Friday by consensus at the initiative of the EU at the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Mr. Zimeray is on the ground. Will he stress to the authorities what you just said? Will he meet Aung San Suu Kyi?
Bernard Kouchner asked François Zimeray to travel to Burma precisely to convey the message that after 20 years of waiting, the Burmese people have the right to express themselves freely and democratically. He will meet with opposition figures. He will not meet—and we deplore this—with Aung San Suu Kyi, who demonstrates great courage, determination and a sense of sacrifice. In this struggle, she has never stopped receiving France’s support.
What is your comment on the arrest of certain Palestinians who were demonstrating peacefully in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday?
Abbas Zaki, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, was arrested on Sunday with about 15 other people during a peaceful march from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem to the checkpoint known as “Rachel’s Tomb.”
This march was organized by a Christian NGO to protest restrictions on access to Jerusalem for Palestinian Christians on Palm Sunday.
We call for the release of Abbas Zaki and those arrested during a peaceful demonstration in support of the freedom of access to the Holy City on an important Christian religious holiday.
Do you have any comment following the Arab League summit in Libya?
What we came away with most particularly from this summit in Sirta was the reaffirmation of the Arab peace initiative. In the current context, this is an important signal. For our part, we haven’t stopped saying that this initiative should be one of the cornerstones of Middle East peace.
Let me remind you that the statement issued by the Quartet on March 19 clearly defined the vital parameters for resuming negotiations and creating a viable Palestinian State. We continue to work toward this end with the parties.
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