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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.]
EUROPEAN UNION
The Lisbon Treaty, signed in the Portuguese capital on December 13, was ratified by the Portuguese Parliament by a large majority on April 23.
France welcomes this ratification of a text which Portugal worked hard to get adopted by the 27 member states during its presidency of the EU in the second half of 2007.
The ratification brings to nine the number of member states that have now ratified the Treaty.
LAW AND JUSTICE CONFERENCE IN DOHA (APRIL 27-28)
The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs is partnering with the State Prosecutor’s Office of Qatar to organize a conference in Doha on April 27 and 28 on the theme, “separation of powers, judicial independence and role of public ministries in strengthening the rule of law.” Twelve justice ministers from 22 invited Arab countries will take part in the conference which will be opened by Justice Minister Rachida Dati.
The purpose of this meeting of countries linked by their attachment to Romano-Germanic law is to formalize an inter-regional network to develop links between Arab judicial institutions. A permanent secretariat general and investigation centers specializing in trans-border crime (cyber crime, terrorism, money-laundering) are to be established.
The conference follows on the first regional conference on justice in the Arab world held in Doha in October 2004.
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Q - The Italian government has changed its position on European sanctions against Iran and now supports the idea of EU measures. What’s your reaction to this? And what’s happening in the talks on new sanctions in the European Union?
European Union member states are working on the next steps after Security Council resolution 1803 and are considering in particular adding new entities and individuals engaged in proliferating activities to the European assets-freeze and travel-ban lists pursuant to resolutions 1737 and 1747.
EU consultations are also focusing on measures that would strengthen the sanctions formulated in Security Council resolutions.
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Q - A third Iranian activist and feminist, Nasrin Afzali, has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence and ten lashes of the whip by Tehran’s Revolutionary Tribunal. Your reaction?
This new sentence increase our concerns about the situation of women’s rights in Iran.
We call on the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran to comply with their international obligations by respecting the right of women to express their opinions.
Q - Salah Hammouri, the French-Palestinian dual national, was given a seven-year prison sentence last week by the Israeli military court in Ofer. French associations have appealed to President Sarkozy to use his power with respect to the Israeli authorities to obtain the release of Mr. Hammouri who has already served three years in prison. Do you have any comment?
France will certainly pursue its action to obtain a positive humanitarian outcome from the Israeli authorities given the three years that Mr. Hammouri has already spent prison.
Q - Do you have any comment on the formation of the new cabinet in Chad with members of the opposition?
We welcome the fact that respected figures from the opposition have joined the Chadian government following the appointment of Youssouf Saleh Abbas as prime minister.
In agreeing to be part of the government, the republican opposition demonstrates a constructive spirit at a time when resolving Chad’s problems requires political solutions.
We hope that this will give new impetus to the EU-brokered process of the August 13, 2007 agreement signed by virtually all Chad’s political parties./.
Embassy of France, April 24, 2008
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