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Daily Press Briefing Statements made by [Please note that only the original French text issued by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs may be considered official.]
MINISTER’S VISIT TO CENTRAL ASIA
The minister traveled to Turkmenistan and Tajikistan on April 10 and 11 and Afghanistan on April 12 and 13. The visit to Turkmenistan and Tajikistan had two main objectives:
- to present the program of cooperation proposed as part of the EU-central Asia strategy at the time of the EU-central Asia ministerial troika held in Achgabat;
- to discuss bilateral relations with the presidents and foreign ministers of both countries ahead of the French presidency of the European Union. It was decided to establish two French-Turkmen working groups on economic questions and educational, health and cultural issues.
In Tajikistan the minister paid a visit to the French air force component in Dushanbe (DetAir), which provides support to the French military contingent in Afghanistan, and to the Kareen Mane street children’s center which is financed by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
In both Turkmenistan and Tajikistan the minister raised the issue of human rights with officials and met with leaders of nongovernmental organizations.
Foreign and European Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner will be going to Warsaw on April 15 where he has been invited to attend the official ceremonies commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising, co-chaired by President Kaczynski and President Shimon Peres. The minister will meet the last surviving commander of the insurrection, Marek Edelman, to whom he will present the insignia of commander of the Legion of Honor.
The minister will have a meeting with his counterpart, Radoslaw Sikorski, continuing the consultations between France and Poland on the priorities of the French presidency of the European Union and the main international issues.
The minister’s trip to Warsaw is part of a series of bilateral meetings which will culminate with the French-Polish summit on April 23 at which we are to conclude a “strategic partnership” designed to strengthen points of agreement on the main European questions.
IHEDN: INTERNATIONAL SESSION ASIA-MIDDLE EAST
The 4th international session, “Asia Middle East,” at the Institute for Higher Defense Studies (IHEDN) will be held at the Ecole Militaire in Paris from April 15 to 22. The topic is: factors of instability and instruments for security.
Taking part will be about 40 military (general officers) and civilian (senior officials, academics) auditors from 21 countries: Australia, Bahrain, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and Yemen.
This international seminar, an initiative of the foreign and European affairs minister on which the Defense Ministry will be cooperating, will afford an opportunity to discuss the possible responses to the issues of religious extremism, terrorism, energy supply, security on the high seas, territorial differences and proliferation with reference in particular to the initiatives of multilateral organizations.
Q - Can you confirm the plan attributed to Bernard Kouchner to hold a conference on Lebanon on the sidelines of the meeting of countries neighboring Iraq on the 22nd of this month in Kuwait?
You know the interest our country takes in Lebanon and the friendship linking it to the Lebanese people. This has been reflected in particular in Mr. Kouchner’s efforts since joining the government to help resolve the crisis in that country today. We’re quite ready to act, in liaison with our partners, to advance a solution conforming to the principles of the Arab League plan. We are considering how to make this cooperation as operational as possible.
Q - What is the status of the Somali pirates in French custody on a warship en route for Djibouti? Can they be tried in France?
We are in close contact with the Somali authorities on this matter in which the legal aspects are the subject of interministerial consultations./.
Embassy of France, April 14, 2008
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