Statements made by the Ministry of Foreign and European Spokesperson (Paris, May 5, 2011)
Palestinian Territories
African Union/ Libya
Sahel
G8 Ministerial Meeting
Palestinian Territories
Q - What is France’s reaction regarding the peace agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas?
Please refer to the comments made by the Ministre d’Etat, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day on May 3.
“Anything that might help to reconcile the organizations, the factions that represent, to one degree or another, their own people, goes in the right direction and we can only hope for the reconciliation of the Palestinian political sensibilities. This reconciliation must take place in accordance with the principles that we believe are essential and we notably expect Hamas to recognize the existence of Israel and its integrity and to refrain from any reference to the use of violence as a means of political action. I hope that this reconciliation process will make it possible to make progress in this direction. That’s not yet fully the case today.”
African Union/ Libya
Q - Yesterday, the President of the African Union Commission Jean Ping reiterated Africa’s preference for a political solution in Libya while calling for an immediate ceasefire. Will Africa finally be considered a key player with respect to finding a solution to the Libyan crisis?
We’ve always considered the African Union to be a key partner with respect to finding a solution to the Libyan crisis. The AU is, furthermore, playing its full role in the Contact Group.
Jean Ping, President of the African Union Commission, is participating in the meeting that’s taking place today in Rome.
On April 19, Alain Juppé, Ministre d’Etat, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, stated to the Diplomatic Press Association, “There are multiple initiatives today. The African Union is participating in the discussion and that’s very positive, we are delighted by that. The Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the European countries and the Americans as well. We expressed the wish in Doha that all this should be somewhat organized and we thought that the best person to lead these negotiations could be the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Mr. Al-Khatib. Everyone rallied behind this viewpoint. The matter will be discussed in Rome in a few days at the next Contact Group meeting.”
Sahel
Q - You’ve urged French citizens living in the Sahel in particular to exercise the utmost caution given the risks of retaliation following Bin Laden’s death. What type of assistance (advice, training, equipment…) are you planning to provide to the Sahel countries in order to tackle this renewed terrorist threat?
I want to remind you of the advice that was provided to our compatriots living in or traveling through the Sahel region on the France diplomatie website under the “Travel Advice” section, “There has been a series of tragic events since summer 2010. Following the death of Michel Germaneau, the kidnapping of 5 French citizens in Arlit (Niger) and the attack against the Embassy of France in Bamako (Mali), two of our compatriots were killed in Niger on January 8, 2011.
French citizens living in Mali and Niger run a very high risk of being kidnapped. Our compatriots must, more than ever, exercise the utmost vigilance and the utmost caution, everywhere and at all times. Regarding the terrorist threat hanging over the region, no areas can now be considered to be safe.
French citizens are requested in particular to limit their travel and to refer to the directions indicated in the “Travel Advice” specific to each country in the Sahel region (Mauritania, Mali and Niger), as well as on the websites of our embassies in the region.”
In the current context, these recommendations are more relevant than ever.
Furthermore, France, together with its European partners, encourages capacity-building in the Sahel States in order to ensure their regional security and stability.
G8 Ministerial Meeting
Q - Can you give us a few details regarding the G8 ministerial meeting on drug trafficking scheduled for Monday? Are the foreign ministers involved or is this just a meeting of the interior ministers? Are there specific issues that will be discussed?
This meeting is being organized on the initiative of the Minister of the Interior.
I want to reaffirm to you that the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs is highly mobilized to combat cross-border crime and drug trafficking. Olivier Weber, Ambassador responsible for the fight against organized crime and human trafficking, is tasked with coordinating the Ministry’s action in this area.