Libya/ Unanimous ruling by the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights
Côte d'Ivoire/ Adoption of UNSCR 1975
Côte d'Ivoire/ Emergency humanitarian relief
Libya/ Unanimous ruling by the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights
The unanimous ruling by the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights, issued at the request of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, is a historical decision.
It orders the Qaddafi regime to immediately cease any action that would result in loss of life or violation of physical integrity of persons, in violation of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights or of any other international text.
It also demonstrates that the entire international community, notably Africa, is concerned about the situation and is mobilized to put an end to the serious human rights violations currently being suffered by the Libyan civilian population.
The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights was created by the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, which was adopted in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in June 1998 by the Member States of what was then the Organization of African Unity, which became the African Union. This Protocol entered into force in January 2004.
During his meeting this week in Tunisia with the French emissaries, did Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa ask for political asylum in France?
Regarding the Contact Group on Libya, Alain Juppé stated on Tuesday that there were around 20 members, including 15 States and 5 EU organizations, the Arab League, etc. Can you give us the exact list of members? Does the group have a secretariat? If yes, where? Does it have a rotating presidency?
Do you confirm the presence of French commandos on Libyan soil?
As the Ministre d’Etat said to the National Assembly here yesterday, there is an increasing number of defections among Qaddafi’s entourage. The departure of Mr. Moussa Koussa, who was a high-ranking leader, demonstrates Qaddafi’s increasing isolation and loss of legitimacy. I understand that Mr. Moussa Koussa is in London.
The Contact Group, which has a rotating presidency, is due to meet in Doha in the coming weeks. The list of participants is being put together. The idea of a secretariat is an option that we are keen to look at.
Regarding your last question, as the Ministre d’Etat has repeatedly reaffirmed, there are no French troops on the ground in Libya.
Côte d'Ivoire/ Adoption of UNSCR 1975
Yesterday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1975 on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire, clearly demanding that the will of the Ivorian people be respected and imposing sanctions on Laurent Gbagbo and his close associates.
France and Nigeria jointly proposed this resolution which they presented to the Security Council. In the current circumstances, this text responds to a necessity.
The Security Council clearly demands that the will of the Ivorian people be respected and urges Laurent Gbagbo to fully recognize Alassane Ouattara as the legitimately elected president of Côte d'Ivoire. His election was, moreover, recognized by the entire international community, beginning with the African countries through the positions continuously expressed by the Economic Community of West African States and by the African Union.
The Security Council is, for the first time, directly sanctioning Ivorian personalities and condemning the use of heavy weapons against civilians. The Security Council is demanding that UNOCI, the UN force in Côte d'Ivoire, use all necessary means to prevent the use of these arms against the population, i.e., to be clear, to seize these arms.
The Security Council also underlined that the violence perpetrated by Laurent Gbagbo’s forces could amount to crimes against humanity, which would fall within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
Through this resolution, the members of the Security Council are lending their full support to peace and democracy in Côte d'Ivoire. They are also sending a very clear message to Laurent Gbagbo: he must respect the will of the Ivorian people.
Laurent Gbagbo and his close associates must heed this message and stop spilling the blood of their compatriots.
Do you know if Laurent Gbagbo is still paying the salaries of the forces that have been loyal to him until now?
In order to deprive Laurent Gbagbo of the financial resources that have enabled him to avoid respecting the results of the elections, ECOWAS, the European Union, and other external partners of Côte d'Ivoire have taken economic and financial measures aimed at preventing the misappropriation of Côte d'Ivoire’s public resources.
The WAEMU thus decided in December, following a decision by ECOWAS, to recognize Alassane Ouattara as the legitimately elected president of Côte d'Ivoire, thus recognizing his signature with respect to the Ivorian State’s public accounts.
In December, the European Union adopted measures, including a visa ban and the freezing of assets, targeting the individuals and entities that oppose the authority of the legitimate president and finance Laurent Gbagbo’s activities.
UNSCR 1975, which was unanimously adopted yesterday, strengthens these measures by imposing targeted sanctions, including financial sanctions, against Laurent Gbagbo, his wife and three close advisors.
Côte d'Ivoire/ Emergency humanitarian relief
In order to respond to the needs of the Ivorian people and in view of the increase in the number of internally displaced persons and refugees, France has decided to send emergency humanitarian relief.
- €1 million will be allocated to the World Food Program (WFP) within the framework of an emergency relief program to assist the displaced populations in Côte d'Ivoire and the host families in the western, central and northern regions of the country and in Abidjan.
- €500,000 will be allocated to WFP activities in Liberia. The operation will focus on providing emergency relief to Ivorian refugees and the host populations in the north-central and south-eastern regions of the country.
- The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs has also allocated, as part of the contributions to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), aid amounting to €400,000 to help Ivorian refugees fleeing the conflict within the framework of the revised UN Emergency Humanitarian Action Plan for Liberia.
- Lastly, €300,000 will be allocated to the International Committee of the Red Cross for relief to the civilian populations affected by the crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, as well as €200,000 to the non-governmental organization Action against Hunger and €130,000 to the NGO Caritas - Secours catholique.
France’s contribution thus amounts to €2.5 million. Further contributions to other NGOs could be made quickly, according to changes in the situation.
France underlines the need to guarantee that humanitarian personnel will be able to work in complete safety and will have access to the vulnerable populations and in particular to the refugees and internally displaced persons.
I want to reaffirm to you that the European Union decided on March 17 to increase its humanitarian assistance five-fold, thus bringing its contribution to a total of €30 million.