Today's Date:

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France thanks Spain for providing the whole international community with the opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to Iraq’s reconstruction. This is an essential task for the Iraqis, for the stability of their country and their region, at a time when this is already riddled with fault lines. Just as we want to achieve a free, united, democratic Iraq, at peace with her neighbours, it’s in the interest of us all to see Iraq – whose people have suffered too much after so many years of wars, dictatorship and embargo – commit herself to the path of stability and prosperity.

The opening speeches at this conference accurately emphasized the acute nature and scale of the Iraqi people’s needs and aspirations. To address them effectively, so that the international community may be equal to the challenge, France had suggested a political approach based on a necessary starting point: affirmation of the principle of Iraqi sovereignty and the Iraqis’ control of their destiny.

France voted for UNSCR 1511 which is a positive step but doesn’t go far enough. We would have preferred, inter alia, this resolution to have set more binding and shorter deadlines for the handover of responsibilities and for the political transition. A fully-sovereign provisional Iraqi government would be the interlocutor the international community needs to go into Iraq on a long-term basis. Nevertheless, France wanted to prioritize Security Council unity and keep listening to the needs expressed by the Iraqis. She intends to go on working, with the whole international community, to get Iraq back on her feet and direct her energy to dealing with the challenges of the reconstruction, and first of all to meeting the Iraqi people’s needs. This is what has constantly motivated France’s action since the conflict: her humanitarian aid to Iraq, relaunch of certain cooperation projects, and her participation today, in a constructive and open-minded spirit, in this conference.

This attitude has already been reflected, over the past few weeks:

- by our full support for the proposal for a contribution of EUR 200 million from the EU budget presented by the European Commission on the EU's behalf, which is an appropriate amount for the short-term period until the end of 2004;

- through our support for the action of the international financial institutions in Iraq, which clearly reflects their mission to promote development and should be seen as falling within the normal framework of the use of their tools;

- by our agreement in principle to the setting-up of one or more multilateral trust funds managed by the World Bank and UNDP, with a remit to act in all the priority sectors of the reconstruction.

We shall, however, be laying great emphasis on the need to envisage and clearly define the coordination between this or these instruments and the development fund. Similarly, the oil revenues paid into the Development Fund for Iraq managed by the [Coalition Provisional] Authority must "be used in a transparent manner" and "audited by independent public accountants" as laid down in UNSCR 1483 of 22 May this year and reiterated by UNSCR 1511 passed last week. It also seems to us essential to ensure complete transparency in the management of the international aid and the Development Fund for Iraq which will have to be closely coordinated.

Aside from these pledges, we deem it of the greatest importance to work for the stabilization of the Iraqi economy and fulfilment of the Iraqi people's aspirations. In this respect, we think it desirable to devote special efforts to the oil and gas sector, on which the resumption of exports and financing of the rebuilding mainly depends. Given the humanitarian needs and the scale of the repairs to be carried out, priority must also be given to heavy infrastructure projects, particularly in the water, supplies and sanitation, and electricity sectors, all identified by the provisional Iraqi authorities. In accordance with these objectives, France has already provided her support for the efforts of the Iraqi people by providing urgently-needed aid in the water, health and education sectors, in addition to the projects undertaken in the framework of France's cultural and academic cooperation with Iraq and the safeguarding of Iraq's historical heritage. French companies will be able to carry out emergency repairs and help speed up infrastructure rehabilitation in order to satisfy the needs of the population, which will help restore the situation to normal.

France will continue to place her experts at the disposal of the international agencies; she is ready to set up training procedures for civilian Iraqi managers, particularly through the twinning of government departments, and humanitarian programmes.

When the time comes, and as the French authorities have said, other types of action can be envisaged. In particular, France is preparing for her bilateral cooperation agency, the French Development Agency (Agence française de développement), to play its full part in Iraq's future development: initially, it could provide assistance in urgent operations to assist the rehabilitation of the Iraqi water and electricity networks.

Finally, in the framework of the Paris Club, of which she holds the chair, France is actively preparing with the other creditors a negotiation on the Iraqi debt, as agreed by the G7 finance ministers. France is ready to envisage special treatment of Iraq's debt, compatible with the country's financing capacity.

So we aim to play our full part, with due regard to the principles we’ve steadfastly defended with our partners, in the rebuilding of a sovereign, democratic Iraq also committed to the modernization of her economy and the well-being of her people./.