Statements made by the Ministry of Foreign and European Spokesperson (Paris, Mars 24, 2011)

Meeting between the Ministre d’Etat and his Israeli counterpart
Syria/ Renewed violence in Deraa

Meeting between the Ministre d’Etat and his Israeli counterpart

Alain Juppé, Ministre d’Etat, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, met this morning at the Quai d’Orsay with Avigdor Lieberman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel.

This meeting was firstly an opportunity for the Ministre d’Etat to express his solidarity with the Israeli people following the terrorist attack that struck Jerusalem.

Regarding the most recent developments in the Gaza Strip area, Alain Juppé, reiterated that we strongly condemned the recent increase in rocket and mortar attacks on civilian targets in southern Israel, as well as the consequences of the Israeli military operation which left 4 Palestinian civilians dead on Tuesday, March 22. He stressed the need to avoid any escalation of violence, which, as recent history has shown, could have disastrous consequences.

The Ministre d’Etat underlined that Israel’s security was not negotiable.

Alain Juppé underlined that the changes under way in the region offer hope and an opportunity to make progress towards resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Ministre d’Etat reaffirmed that in this respect the status quo was intolerable.

Lastly, he talked about the prospects opened up by the current movements of dissent in the region, explaining that the aspirations for freedom and democracy must be respected everywhere and that the use of force against populations must be prohibited everywhere. France condemns the use of force and urges dialogue wherever necessary.

Syria/ Renewed violence in Deraa

Following the incidents that took place during the night of March 22 in Deraa, there was renewed violence on March 23, which left several demonstrators dead and injured many. France again condemns this violence which is unacceptable. It expresses its sympathy to the victims and their families.

France is concerned about the fate of those arrested in recent days in Syria and again urges the Syrian authorities to release all those detained for having participated in demonstrations. France also calls for the release of those arrested as a result of their views or actions in defense of human rights.

France demands – as the UN Secretary-General also did yesterday – that Syria refrain from violence, conduct a transparent inquiry into the events of the last few days and respect the international commitments to which it has subscribed with respect to human rights, the freedom of opinion and expression, and the freedom to demonstrate peacefully.

Furthermore, as the Ministre d’Etat again reaffirmed this morning, political reforms must be immediately initiated in order to respond to the aspirations expressed by the Syrian people.