Statements made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson (Paris, March 21, 2014)
Festival of Nowruz – Message from Mr. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Turkey – Blocking of Twitter
Israel – Settlement activity
Arbitrary detentions in Syria
Afghanistan – Attack on the Serena Hotel (March 20, 2014)
Côte d’Ivoire – Transfer of Mr. Charles Blé Goudé to the International Criminal Court (March 20, 2014)
World Water Day (March 22, 2014)
China – Repatriation of our compatriot, Marcel Hénaux
Festival of Nowruz – Message from Mr. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs
On the occasion of Nowruz, I would like to extend my warmest wishes to all those who are celebrating this festival throughout the world, particularly in Iran.
The universal values of peace, respect, tolerance and renewal have been central to this New Year festival for more than three millennia; France joins in this celebration in a spirit of goodwill and friendship.
Turkey – Blocking of Twitter
This shocking decision by the Turkish government violates the freedom of expression and the freedom of communication, which are fundamental principles.
Turkey must respect its commitments as a candidate country, especially in the area relating to the protection of fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of expression.
Israel – Settlement activity
France is deeply concerned by the announcement on March 20 of the construction of more than two thousand new homes in the West Bank.
The parties must refrain from any gesture that could jeopardize the success of the negotiations.
Arbitrary detentions in Syria
An event is taking place today at the UN General Assembly in New York devoted to arbitrary detentions in Syria and to the atrocities committed in the regime’s prisons and detention centers.
This event, which has been organized by the permanent missions of several countries to the UN (Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States), will be hosted by Sir Desmond Lorenz de Silva, former Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone and head of the team of international magistrates that produced the recent report on torture practices in Syria published in January 2014.
This team examined the 55,000 photos of Syrian prisons that were smuggled out of the Syrian territory by the defector known under the pseudonym of “Caesar” and which document the regime’s practices in its prisons: mass torture, starvation, summary executions, including the execution of elderly people, women and children, and mutilations.
These elements are further proof of the war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The regime’s leaders responsible for these crimes, which have been denounced by the UN secretary-general as well as by the high commissioner for human rights, must be brought to justice.
Afghanistan – Attack on the Serena Hotel (March 20, 2014)
France condemns the attack perpetrated on March 20 in Kabul, which left several Afghan and foreign civilians dead. We extend our condolences to the victims’ families.
We were extremely shocked to learn that this attack killed a journalist working for Agence France-Presse, Mr. Sardar Ahmad, and his family. We express our wholehearted solidarity with all of his family and friends as well as the journalists who, every day, courageously help to promote the freedom of information in Afghanistan. France is mobilized, notably within the United Nations, to ensure that the safety of journalists is guaranteed everywhere.
Three weeks ahead of the first round of presidential elections in Afghanistan, France reaffirms its commitment alongside the Afghan people in order to work toward the country’s stabilization.
Côte d’Ivoire – Transfer of Mr. Charles Blé Goudé to the International Criminal Court (March 20, 2014)
France welcomes the decision by the Côte d’Ivoire authorities to hand over Mr. Charles Blé Goudé to the International Criminal Court.
Full light must be shed on the crimes that have been committed and responsibilities must be clearly established. The transfer of Mr. Blé Goudé, who has been charged with crimes against humanity, contributes to the fight against impunity and is essential to national reconciliation in Côte d’Ivoire.
We support the commitments made by President Ouattara to bring to justice the alleged perpetrators, regardless of their affiliation, and call on the Côte d’Ivoire authorities to implement the recommendations of the national commission of inquiry.
World Water Day (March 22, 2014)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs joins in the celebration of World Water Day 2014, which is dedicated to water and its energy challenges.
Water is a critical issue not just with respect to energy, but also in terms of the fight against climate change: approximately 8% of global energy production is used to pump, treat and transport water in order to meet all domestic, industrial and agricultural uses.
France is mobilized in support of implementing the right to water and sanitation recognized by the UN in July 2010, through numerous projects being carried out by the French Development Agency (AFD). We also actively support efforts to introduce the shared management of transboundary waters by lending support to five transboundary river basin authorities (Senegal, Niger, Volta, Mekong, and Nile). Every year, AFD contributes on average €600 million to cooperation projects in the water sector.
China – Repatriation of our compatriot, Marcel Hénaux
Several media outlets have asked us about the situation of our compatriot, Marcel Hénaux, who suffered a serious health problem on March 9 during a trip to Asia.
Thanks to the mobilization of our embassy, our compatriot should be repatriated to Paris tomorrow morning, Saturday, March 22, before being transferred to Bordeaux, his hometown.
We express our wholehearted solidarity with Mr. Hénaux’s family members who have been through a very difficult time over the past few days. Since his hospitalization, our embassy and the ministry of foreign affairs have been in continuous contact with Mr. Hénaux’s family in order to help them as much as possible during this ordeal. Our embassy is continuing to closely monitor the situation. The embassy conducted a visit to Mr. Hénaux this morning at the Tiantan Puhua Hospital in Beijing together with the embassy’s French doctor.