Pakistan / Release of Antoine Falsaperla: Statement by Bernard Kouchner
Iran
Libya / Scotland
MONUC
Lebanon / UNIFIL
Pakistan / Release of Antoine Falsaperla: Statement by Bernard Kouchner
I was delighted to learn of the announcement of the release of our compatriot who had been held hostage in Pakistan since May 24, 2009.
The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs’ services, and the Crisis Center in particular, were fully mobilized on this matter from the outset.
I thank all those who enabled this happy outcome, particularly the Pakistani authorities.
Our compatriot is due to return to France soon and get back to his family who, as you can imagine, are overjoyed and very much looking forward to seeing him.
Concerning Clotilde Reiss’s situation—Bernard Kouchner said in an interview that the case could drag on for a few more weeks. Are there new elements on the Iranian side that could delay the Iranian court’s verdict with respect to the young Frenchwoman?
[Clotilde Reiss’s] conditional release is a positive first step.
Our objective remains Clotilde Reiss’s definitive release and return to France. We hope this will happen soon. As Bernard Kouchner emphasized, it could take several weeks.
What’s your reaction to Scotland’s release of the Libyan national Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi? What’s your reaction to the welcome organized by the Libyan authorities for his return?
Concerning your first question, that’s a decision for the Scottish justice system.
With respect to the second one, naturally we understand the feelings of the victims’ families, who were certainly very offended by the welcome extended to Mr. al-Magrahi.
Does France plan on asking the Security Council to change MONUC’s rules of engagement? It just got the 3,000 new troops it was asking for, but President Sarkozy publicly stated that the problem of this UN force wasn’t mainly a matter of troop strength.
Discussions in the UN Security Council when MONUC’s mandate was renewed last December made it possible to adapt and modify the mandate of this UN force in a way that responded to France’s wishes.
SCR 1856 of December 22, 2008, strengthens MONUC’s rules of engagement, particularly with respect to the need to protect civilian populations.
In this context, we welcome the forthcoming arrival of additional troops, which should help stabilize the situation in eastern DRC.
What is the meaning of the demand made by France’s representative to the Security Council concerning “the UNIFIL force’s total freedom of action”? Does France believe that UNIFIL isn’t totally free to act? […]
Our permanent representative reiterated France’s position during Security Council consultations as it was expressed by Bernard Kouchner, notably on July 21: “the mandate was very well calculated, it is extremely solid.”
UNIFIL’s mission, as described in SCR 1701, was calibrated three years ago with great precision, in consultation with the parties. What we want to monitor is its proper implementation.
In this regard, the Lebanese army and UNIFIL must continue to intensify their cooperation to ensure that SCR 1701 is fully respected in southern Lebanon.
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