Fight against the Ebola epidemic – Visit by Ms. Girardin to the training center in Nogent-le-Rotrou (February 12, 2015)
Yemen – Temporary closure of our embassy in Sana from February 13, 2015
Fight against the incitement to hatred or violence
Lebanon
Fight against the Ebola epidemic – Visit by Ms. Girardin to the training center in Nogent-le-Rotrou (February 12, 2015)
Ms. Annick Girardin, Minister of State for Development and Francophony, will visit the training center for healthcare personnel involved in the fight against Ebola in Nogent-le-Rotrou on February 12. She will be accompanied by Professor Jean-François Delfraissy, France’s Ebola Coordinator, and Ms. Christine Fages, Ambassador, Coordinator of the International Ebola Task Force and Ms. Amara Camara, Ambassador of Guinea to France.
Ms. Annick Girardin, who has been to Guinea three times since the start of the epidemic, will reaffirm the key role of training. The training center in Nogent-le-Rotrou, managed by the sécurité civile [emergency services] training and response unit, has already trained 120 medical personnel who have implemented French measures to respond to the epidemic in Guinea.
The increase in the number of Ebola cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in January shows that the epidemic is still virulent. France remains more committed than ever alongside the Guinean people to eradicate this scourge.
Yemen – Temporary closure of our embassy in Sana from February 13, 2015
Given the political crisis facing Yemen and the deteriorating security situation, Mr. Laurent Fabius has taken the decision to temporarily close our embassy in Sana.
This decision will take effect on February 13.
We are in close contact with the French community in Yemen; we recommend that they leave the country as soon as possible.
France reaffirms its attachment to Yemen’s stability and unity. It supports the negotiations conducted by UN Special Adviser Jamal Benomar aimed at relaunching a transition process in accordance with the road map drawn up by the international community.
Will France close the embassy in Yemen?
Please refer to the statement that we’ve just made.
Fight against the incitement to hatred or violence
Prime Minister Manuel Valls’s recent remarks about fighting “the discourse of the Muslim Brotherhood in our country…” clearly imply that the presence of this organization in France is a threat. Is France considering taking concrete measures against the organization?
As the Prime Minister and all French authorities have underscored repeatedly, the government is fully determined to fight all forms of incitement to hatred or violence.
Mr. Fabius noted on February 8 in Munich that we must combat propaganda and justifications of violence on the Internet and social media.
As for measures to be taken on French soil, I suggest you direct your questions to the Interior Ministry.
Will French weapons shipments to Lebanon (as part of a $3 billion Saudi contract) still take place after the changes in the Saudi leadership? Were there any suspensions, cancellations or changes in the list of supplies for the Lebanese army?
France welcomed the signing on December 15 in Beirut of the French-Lebanese agreement on the implementation of the aid initiative for the Lebanese army. France is committed to its swift implementation, as Foreign Minister Fabius noted during his conversation with Prime Minister Tammam Salam in Munich on February 8.
Funded by the Saudis, this agreement will substantially strengthen the Lebanese army’s ability to defend the country’s territory and combat terrorism.
The tripartite agreement to implement DONAS was signed by the Saudis on January 7.
At a time when Lebanon is facing a worsening security situation, the army, on which the terrorist threat has taken a heavy toll, must continue to guarantee the country’s unity and stability.