…China/Tibet
Press briefing given by Foreign Ministry spokesperson, April 16, 2008
Q: China refused yesterday to condemn the calls for a boycott of French-made goods circulating on the Internet, concerning particularly retail distributor Carrefour which has a large presence in the country. The Chinese foreign minister warmed France, saying “everything has a reason” and calling for France to listen carefully to the voice of the Chinese people. What’s your reaction?
France and China have close relations in all areas, especially in the economic sphere. We talk about all matters together with mutual confidence. We listen to the voice of the Chinese people, which is a friendly people, but the calls for a boycott have come from a very small minority and we have no knowledge of any effect of these initiatives on our economic relations.
Press briefing given by Foreign Ministry spokesperson, April 17, 2008
Q: China, which refuses to resume dialogue with the Dalai Lama and to release the political prisoners, has just decided to cancel indefinitely the reopening of Tibet which had been set for May 1 on the grounds that “the conditions aren’t ripe.” This was the only point on which Beijing had appeared to respond to French demands. Your reaction?
We continue, together with all our European partners, to encourage the Chinese authorities to enter into dialogue with the Dalai Lama and to allow the utmost transparency on the situation Tibet. This requires the reopening of the autonomous region of Tibet as soon as possible.
…Kuwait/Enlarged Ministerial Conference of Iraq’s neighbors
Press briefing given by Foreign Ministry spokesperson, April 18, 2008
The minister of foreign and European affairs will be in Kuwait on April 21 and 22 to take part in the third enlarged ministerial conference of Iraq’s neighbors which is being held at the invitation of the Kuwaiti government and the Iraqi government.
France attaches great importance to the process of Iraq’s neighbors and the dynamic of regional dialogue. It considers the support of the regional countries, when they show a sincere wish to contribute to Iraq’s stability and reconstruction, absolutely essential.
The crisis in Iraq is a source of considerable risk for the Middle East and, beyond the region, for the international community as a whole. In the face of the attacks that have continued the bloodshed in Iraq over the past few weeks, we call for Iraqis to reject violence as an ordinary way of life and to unite to find ways to reconciliation, peace and security. During his visit Bernard Kouchner will also meet with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Sabah al Salem al-Sabah.
Q: Are Syria and Iran going to be invited to the parallel meeting on Lebanon?
Contacts are being held on this with all the countries concerned. The minister will be making a statement on the spot. (…)
Q: Will the countries you listed be present or not?
We’re having contacts with all the neighboring countries to see if we can go forward with this meeting on Lebanon. It’s a question which it is very important to have talks on in order to break the deadlock over the presidential election. We’re pursuing the contacts. Nothing has been finalized.
…Middle East
- Press briefing given by Foreign Ministry spokesperson, April 15, 2008
Q: (…)Do you support President Jimmy Carter’s demarche and if so do you have any comment on Israel’s refusal to let him go to Gaza?
I’m not going to comment on Mr. Carter’s trip which he’s making in a personal capacity. Our position with regard to Hamas is known to you. Hamas is on the list of terrorist organizations. Conditions have been set for establishing a dialogue with it. And above all, as the minister has said, dialogue with Hamas is a decision for the Palestinian authorities. It is up to them to judge at what point such dialogue can take place.
Q: You’re speaking of President Abbas?
I’m speaking of the president of the Palestinian Authority, of course.
Q: Will you launch some initiative during the French presidency of the EU to persuade the Europeans to open to Hamas?
The French presidency starts on July 1, 2008. We still have a bit of time till then. We’ll see what’s to be done in consultation with our European partners.
Q: Do you have any comment on the economic and social situation in Gaza? How long are you going to let the situation deteriorate this way? There are even ecological disasters there now.
We know all this and we’re doing all we can to end this situation. As President Sarkozy said at the Paris Conference, and the minister, the peace process concerns Gaza as well. Gaza will also be part of the solution.
- Press briefing given by Foreign Ministry spokesperson, April 17, 2008
France is very concerned about the escalating violence in Gaza and southern Israel which yesterday caused the deaths of several Palestinian civilians and Israeli soldiers
France reiterates its condemnation of the continuing rocket attacks from Gaza and deplores the Israeli incursions which result in victims in the Palestinian civilian population. It calls for an end to all violence.
France recalls its deep concern at the deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. It reaffirms the necessity of opening crossing points and of a steady supply of power and basic products. While the announcement by the Israelis about resuming fuel shipments to Gaza is a positive element, it is important to end the prolonged isolation of Gaza which is creating major political, economic and security risks.
…Lebanon
Press briefing given by Foreign Ministry spokesperson, April 16, 2008
We welcome the adoption of a presidential statement in the Security Council yesterday on the implementation of resolution 1701. This text reiterates the international community’s ongoing commitment to Lebanon and particularly the application of all provisions of resolution 1701. The presidential statement clearly reaffirms support for UNIFIL which is deployed in support of Lebanese armed forces and is a key factor for stability in a difficult context.
The Security Council wants to see greater progress in areas which the UN secretary-general has called “key” issues in his various reports, among them, compliance with the arms embargo, establishment of a zone free of weapons and illegal armed personnel south of the Litani, respect for the Blue Line and an end to Israeli overflights, the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon, the demarcation of Lebanon’s international borders, a settlement of the Shebaa Farms question, the issue of the Israeli prisoners kidnapped by Hezbollah and Lebanese prisoners held in Israel, Ghajar.
In adopting this presidential statement, the Security Council reaffirms its full support for the secretary-general’s efforts and expects all the parties concerned, especially the countries in the region, to fully cooperate with him.
…Israel/Iran
Press briefing given by Foreign Ministry spokesperson, April 15, 2008
Q: In the war of words between the Israelis and the Iranians, the Iranian deputy chief of staff threatened to wipe Israel off the map if Iran were attacked. Do you have any comment?
Like Iran, Israel is a member of the UN, and it is unacceptable to make such remarks about a country that is a member of the international community.
Q: And if Israel threatens to do the same thing?
It’s the same thing. We cannot stand for members of the international community seeing their existence being threatened by others.
…Cote d’Ivoire
Press briefing given by Foreign Ministry spokesperson, April 15, 2008
Q: Do you have a statement concerning the date of the announced elections? Most of all, will they have consequences for France? Will they pave the way for a visit by the foreign minister to Côte d’Ivoire? Is there any particular aid available to finance that election? In short, are there measures being envisioned to support this step forward?
Yesterday’s announcement of the setting of a date for the presidential election is an important step, which we salute as such. We stand alongside Côte d’Ivoire in supporting the full implementation of the Ouagadougou agreement and we encourage all the Ivorian parties to strengthen the current dynamic.
This political support does not come solely from France. It comes from the entire international community. Indeed, on several occasions, the Security Council has marked its determination
to support the implementation of the Ouagadougou agreements, particularly through the holding of free, fair and transparent elections.
Naturally, the minister will examine the possibility of a trip to Côte d’Ivoire in due time.
Q: Does that mean that France was not considering a high-level trip before because the situation was so deadlocked? And that now, things could be done more easily?
The announcement of a date for holding elections has just been issued. We welcome that, as I just said, and we will see at what point the minister might visit Côte d’Ivoire, given the constraints of his schedule.
By definition, a foreign minister likes to visit all the countries of the world, and particularly those where there is good news.
…Zimbabwe
Press briefing given by Foreign Ministry spokesperson, April 15, 2008
The situation in Zimbabwe is extremely troubling. At a time when the opposition has called for a general strike, to continue until the results of the presidential election are published, and the police have banned any public demonstrations, France once again deplores the fact that these results have still not been announced. It has been 17 days since the vote, and we have been told they should be published on April 19. We will see, but they should have been published the day of the vote.
The SADC summit that met in Lusaka on April 12 called once again for the swift publication of the results. The summit was useful because it reiterated the international community’s concerns.
We will be closely following what happens in the coming days. We have two concerns: respect for the verdict of the ballot box and regional stability. The Zimbabwean authorities owe their people the truth.
…Burundi
Press briefing given by Foreign Ministry spokesperson, April 18, 2008
France is very concerned about the violent incidents which occurred in Bujumbura last night.
It calls on all the parties and in the first place the rebels of the Palipehutu-FNL movement to respect the cease-fire concluded September 7, 2006, and asks them to resume negotiations without further delay in a spirit of dialogue and cooperation so as to overcome the obstacles we’ve seen over the past several months.
France reiterates its support for the action carried out by the South African facilitation and political direction, and remains determined to support all the efforts to build peace in Burundi on a permanent basis.
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