I pay tribute to the ministerial conference on Libya that took place in Rome on December 13.

Like the international community, France supports the immediate signing by both parliaments on December 16 in Skhirat of the agreement concluded between the Libyan parties under the auspices of the United Nations. There is now an urgent need to form a national unity government capable of taking immediate action to ensure the country’s security with the support of the international community.

We have now reached a decisive stage in which a return to stability is within reach. Those who try to obstruct the agreement will be held accountable before the Libyan people and before the international community.

Syria – Ministerial meeting at the Quai d'Orsay (December 14, 2015)

Laurent Fabius will this evening receive, for a working meeting, some of the main partners involved alongside France in the efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis: Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Jordan, Italy, Qatar, the United Kingdom and Turkey.

The participants will welcome the results of the founding meeting in Riyadh aimed at bringing the Syrian civilian political and military opposition together and will take stock of the fight against terrorism. They will also discuss the urgent need to respect international humanitarian law as well as the measures needed, in parallel, to initiate political negotiations and establish a ceasefire.

France reaffirms that the only way to put an end to the conflict is through a credible political transition involving the departure of Bashar al-Assad that will make it possible to establish a united, free and democratic Syria that will respect the rights of all citizens.

Syria – Bombing in Eastern Ghouta (December 13, 2015)

France condemns the bombing targeted against several towns in Eastern Ghouta on December 13, which killed dozens of civilians including many children.

We reaffirm our appeal for efforts to put an end to the attacks against civilian populations, which constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law.

These unacceptable attacks against civilians underscore the urgent need for a political transition based on the implementation of the Geneva Communiqué.

Burundi – Violence (December 11-12, 2015)

France condemns all of the violence committed over the last few days in Burundi.

We demand that full light be shed on the coordinated attacks on December 11 as well as on the violence perpetrated since then.

Given the deteriorating situation, France calls on the countries of the region to do everything possible to launch a negotiation process, with the support of the African Union and the UN.

Central African Republic – Referendum (December 12-13, 2015)

France welcomes the holding of the referendum in the Central African Republic. Voting is still going on at several polling stations where it had not entirely finished yesterday.

A very large number of Central Africans registered to vote and then exercised that right. This is a victory for the Central African people and for democracy in that country.

In this context, la France condemns in the strongest possible terms those who used force during the election. We applaud the role played by the UN mission in the Central African Republic in supporting the first round of elections, and we encourage it to fully implement its mandate to provide security and protection for civilians wherever it is deployed.

Cameroon – Attacks (December 11, 2015)

France condemns the attacks of December 11, which killed 10 people in Kolofata.

We offer our condolences to the victims’ families.

France stands alongside the authorities and people of Cameroon who, together with the states of the Lake Chad basin, are engaged in the fight against terrorism

Saudi Arabia – Election of the first women to municipal councils (December 12, 2015)

France takes note of the participation of women in the municipal elections of December 12 in Saudi Arabia and applauds the election of several women to local municipal councils.

We reiterate our attachment to the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, particularly in political and public life, and to respecting the right of women to vote and run in all elections.

Colombia – Franco-German Human Rights Prize 2015 (Bogotá - December 14, 2015)

The sixth Franco-German Antonio Nariño Human Rights Prize was awarded this year to the Museo Casa de la Memoria in Medellin for its historical memory work on the Colombian conflict.

Costurero de Memoria’s projects in Bogotá (on the violence of the Colombia conflict) and work by the association Corporacion Humanas (on women who were the victims of sexual violence) received honorable mentions.

Established by the embassies of France and Germany, this prize bears the name of the first translator into Spanish of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, the forerunner of Colombian independence.

Human Rights / Sri Lanka – Ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance (December 10, 2015)

France applauds Sri Lanka’s ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance. It testifies to that country’s commitment to strengthen respect for human rights.

Sri Lanka has become the 51st Party to this convention, five years after it entered into force on December 23, 2010.

France calls on the 95 signatories to the convention and all nations that have not yet done so to ratify this instrument, which is crucial to the fight against impunity and the right of victims to justice and reparations.