…Libye

- Communiqué issued by the Presidency of the Republic announcing the release of the Bulgarian nurses and doctor – Paris , July 24, 2007

The French presidential plane has just taken off from Libya for Sofia with Mme Cécilia Sarkozy, Ms Benita Ferrero-Waldner, M. Claude Guéant, the Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor on board.

The President of the French Republic, M. Nicolas Sarkozy, and President of the European Commission, Mr José Manuel Barroso, welcome the agreement which has finally allowed the release and return to Bulgaria of the nurses held for over eight years, and of the Palestinian doctor, and establishment of an improved framework to ensure the care dispensed to child AIDS victims in Libya.

President Sarkozy and the President of the Commission welcome this humanitarian gesture of Libya and her highest leader and pledge to do the utmost to help children infected with AIDS.  They express their profound gratitude to the Amir and State of Qatar whose mediation made this happy outcome possible.

This outcome would not have been possible without the efforts and determination of the European Commission, and more particularly of the Member of the European Commission in charge of External Relations, Ms Benita Ferrero-Waldner, throughout the process, and without the personal commitment of Mme Cécilia Sarkozy./.

- Press briefing given by Foreign Ministry spokesperson (July 27, 2007)

Q: Germany seems to have reservations, which were stated by Mr. Steinmeier himself, about cooperation between France and Libya in the nuclear field.

We’ve taken note of a statement which to my knowledge was made not by the German foreign minister but by an official of the German Foreign Ministry.

As we said yesterday, it seems to us obviously that we concluded this agreement for one, because it’s the result of negotiations that began several years ago. The presidential visit was an opportunity to sign a number of agreements, including that one.

Second, with regard to the risk of proliferation since that is what is being discussed by a number of commentators, we recalled several elements.

First, Libya acted on its own initiative in giving up its weapons of mass destruction programs in December 2003 and has dismantled them under international supervision. Furthermore, it showed it was ready to give up military nuclear power definitively by ratifying the international agreement and the additional protocol which entitles the International Atomic Energy Agency to check all its nuclear activities and ensure there is no clandestine program. The IAEA, as we know from the reports it issues every year on compliance by its verification mission, is carrying out its work in Libya under satisfactory conditions.

It states in the text of the memorandum that cooperation shall be undertaken and pursued with due respect for the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and its instruments: the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and the safeguards agreement and the Additional Protocol, which I’ve just mentioned, with the IAEA. France’s obligations as a member of EURATOM and the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group, are also recalled.

The intergovernmental agreement, which will be signed later, will include, as do all the civil nuclear cooperation agreements signed by France, clauses on the peaceful use of cooperation and the application of IAEA monitoring of all materials used in all nuclear installations.

Franco-Libyan cooperation in the civil nuclear field is proof that countries that fully comply with their international non-proliferation commitments can obtain all the benefits of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

I would like to recall that the objective is carefully spelled out in the agreement. Cooperation between France and Libya on nuclear desalination is in response to Libya’s wish to diversify its energy sources. In fact seawater desalination requires substantial energy support to fuel either an evaporation process or operate pumps. The memorandum doesn’t prejudge an eventual decision by the Libyan authorities to turn to renewable energy sources as well to satisfy its energy needs.

Lastly, I would like to remind you that we favor the development of nuclear energy for peaceful ends at the global level, and that one should not confuse civil use with military use. France has been approached by many countries since we are, along with the United States, the only country to have mastered all aspects of the nuclear industry. So we’ve been approached by several countries in North Africa and the Middle East. Technical studies are being done specifically with Algeria and Morocco.

The development of a civil nuclear program is only conceivable with strict compliance with international non-proliferation commitments and I believe that we’ve taken a number of precautions, I note, lastly, that several international experts--Americans, British and from other countries--have given similar assessment with regard to the absence of the risk of proliferation that the MOU presented.

Q: Was the memorandum discussed beforehand with the Germans? Were they told that France was going to sign this document?

As I said, the negotiations began at the end of 2004. There was an initial technical mission from the French Atomic Energy Agency (CEA) to Libya in 2005. An initial memorandum of understanding was signed between the CEA and Libyan authorities in March 2006, which was completely public. From that point on, it was all public knowledge, and I believe we told our partners about it on many occasions. At least once the memorandum was public, everyone could find out about the negotiations. I remember that we even discussed them at a press briefing right here./.

…Afghanistan

I will read the communiqué issued last night by Foreign and European Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner:

“I was deeply moved to learn of the death today of a French solider, a training instructor for the Afghan army, in Wardak province in Afghanistan following a rocket attack.

“I offer my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.
“This tragic event is a reminder of the difficult conditions in which soldiers of the NATO International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan operate.”

…Lebanon

- I will read the communiqué issued last night by Foreign and European Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner:

“I was greatly saddened to learn of the death today of a French soldier, a member of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), during a demining operation in the vicinity of Tyre.

“I offer my sincerest condolences to this family and loved ones.

“ France played its full part in reinforcing this force following the adoption of resolution 1701 and is extremely committed to the work done by the men with UNIFIL in support of the Lebanese army and to further Lebanon’s stability and sovereignty.”

- Press briefing given by Foreign Ministry spokesperson (July 27, 2007)

Q: Is there a Kouchner method? The points discussed at La Celle Saint-Cloud fell into three categories: questions on which there was agreement; questions which weren’t addressed; and questions on which agreement couldn’t be reached. What’s the strategy? (…) What does the minister intend to do in the event of an impasse or failure?

As you know, when the exercise was launched, the minister’s intention, which he made clear during his visit to Beirut on May 23-24, was to show that he was available as facilitator to restore dialogue among the various Lebanese parties and to try to break the ice.

You’re asking me if there’s a Kouchner method. I’m not going to answer your question directly but what everyone has seen in any case is that all the Lebanese parties invited accepted the invitation, that everyone contributed to the exercise at La Celle Saint-Cloud and everyone agreed that the ice had been broken.

Participants talked without necessarily agreeing on all the point, as you mention, but they did express a consensus on some elements, and beyond that, they agreed to pursue this method which is to examine how to restore the Lebanese state and get the institutions functioning normally.

So there was the exercise at La Celle Saint-Cloud. The minister said at that point that he was ready to go to Beirut to meet with the leaders of the parties or the various Lebanese parties that were part of the dialogue so as to check that the method that had been decided at La Celle Saint-Cloud was shared by these various leaders and so they could continue on this path.

Now you’re saying what if there’s a failure, an impasse, a deadlock. We’re not there yet. We hope that the visit will make it possible to continue the path taken at La Celle Saint-Cloud. The minister will meet with all the various leaders who took part in the exercise at La Celle Saint-Cloud to check that we still agree on this method and on the various items that are still on the agenda.

It is assistance with the political dialogue among the various Lebanese parties that the minister is prepared to continue. Obviously, the decisions which will have to be taken are a matter for the Lebanese parties themselves. We’ve said that all along. Our role is to facilitate and to assist. But in any case, decision-making is a matter for the Lebanese parties.

The Kouchner method is to be available to the various parties so as to facilitate agreement and dialogue.

Q: Were there in fact points which weren’t addressed and points on which there was no agreement?

I didn’t make that classification so I can’t answer your question. There are some issues on which the participants agreed there was a consensus, for example on Lebanon’s independence and integrity and the Taif accords.

Also, they agreed on a working method. That is what is important. In two days we didn’t discuss all the issues, everything that was on the agenda in the discussions under way in Lebanon. That’s the reason the exercise needs to be continued.

Q: Did you coordinate with the American authorities on the Lebanese question? Cooperate on structures and the fundamentals in the Lebanese problem?

We said so and repeated what we said. We did take care to inform a number of our partners right at the beginning of this initiative. As you know, Mr. Cousseran, the minister’s envoy, went to the United States, Egypt, Morocco and Iran and to a number of countries to inform them of our intentions and what we expected from the exercise. He did so before and after the exercise at La Celle Saint-Cloud. We have a regular dialogue on this question with a number of countries.

Obviously we also keep our European partners informed also. When the minister was at the General Affairs/External Relations Council on July 23, he briefed all the European ministers on what had happened at La Celle Saint-Cloud and what we planned for the next step.

… Darfur

JOINT UK AND FRANCE STATEMENT ON DARFUR (July 27, 2007)

The UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, and the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Bernard Kouchner, reconfirm their continued and full support for the African Union and United Nations led political process for Darfur.

“We join other members of the international community in calling on all invited participants to attend the meeting in Arusha called by the AU and UN Special Envoys on 3 –5 August. Non-attendance would signal an unwillingness to resolve the suffering in Darfur and would impede the political process.

Both our governments are working hard in New York to achieve rapid endorsement of the AU-UN hybrid peacekeeping force to ensure its early deployment. We appeal to the Government of Sudan and rebels to show their commitment to the political process by ceasing all hostilities and committing to a full ceasefire. We call on all parties to honour the commitments they made in Tripoli.

The UK and France look forward to a sustained and inclusive peace deal that brings lasting benefits to the people of Darfur, and those in surrounding regions, who have suffered for too long.”