Referendum in Morocco / Statement by Alain Juppé, Ministre d’Etat, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs (July 2, 2011)
Thailand
South Sudan
African Union
Turkey – Recognition of the Libyan National Transitional Council
Referendum in Morocco / Statement by Alain Juppé, Ministre d’Etat, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs (July 2, 2011)
“According to the partial results provided by the Moroccan Interior Ministry, 98.49% of voters on the electoral register voted in favor of the new draft constitution. 9,228,020 people voted, a turnout rate of 72.65%.
We must, of course, wait for the final figures, but it already appears that the Moroccan people have taken a clear, historic decision. In a drastically changed regional situation, where the democratic process has had to be established through—at times, violent—confrontation, and where there are still attempts to stifle it, as in Syria and Yemen, Morocco has, in four months, peacefully and through dialogue, succeeded in passing a milestone.
The constitution was revised on the basis of extensive consultation, involving every political party, trade unions and a wide range of representatives from civil society.
We pay tribute to the Moroccan people’s high turnout for the referendum. It prompted lively, substantial debate, reflected in the media and particularly on the Internet. The referendum campaign was conducted with due regard for democratic rules and the referendum was organized transparently.
France, of course, stands at Morocco’s side in supporting her in this new era and very much hopes that the implementation of this new constitution will bring new progress and new success.”
Following the constitutional referendum in Morocco, President Sarkozy expressed France’s hope on Saturday that the Kingdom would join the G8’s “Deauville Partnership” to support democracy. Concretely, what are the implications of this initiative? Can we say that Morocco is now eligible to receive aid funds unblocked by the G8 countries under this initiative?
As the President indicated following the constitutional referendum in Morocco, France supports Morocco’s membership in the Deauville Partnership with the people of North Africa and the Middle East, launched at the G8 summit on May 26-27.
As they said in Deauville, the G8 heads of state and government “stand ready to extend this long term global Partnership to all countries of the region engaging in a transition towards free, democratic and tolerant societies (…) beginning with Egypt and Tunisia, in association with countries wishing to support transition in the region.”
Subject to the agreement of our G8 partners and Morocco’s wish, that country could indeed be eligible for [funds] to support its efforts to carry out a democratic transition in accordance with the principles of the Deauville Partnership. […]
France welcomes the legislative elections that took place in Thailand yesterday and their smooth unfolding. The provisional results seem to be accepted by all.
Everyone remembers the dramatic events of spring 2010 in Bangkok. We hope that a government will be formed in a peaceful atmosphere and that the new authorities will be able to calmly get to work. It is in everyone’s interest and in that of Thailand.
We are well aware of the stakes of this new equation for Thai democracy. Expectations in terms of justice, reconciliation and economic development are large. We have confidence in the responsibility of all the parties.
South Sudan will effectively become independent on July 9, even though important questions (borders, citizenship, shared oil revenues, debt) have not yet been resolved. Don’t you think this situation carries risks for the future of the new State?
The birth of a new State is always a delicate exercise that presumes close coordination between the various authorities involved. Despite the events of recent months, the authorities of North and South have, since June 20, reached agreements on Abyei, the transitional areas and the management of the North-South border. That is encouraging.
The authorities of North and South must leverage these results to continue this positive dynamic and to swiftly determine Abyei’s final status and resolve all pending issues with a view to South Sudan’s independence.
France stands ready to support any measure that will facilitate the restoration of trust between the parties and the establishment of peaceful, cooperative relations between the two future States.
Some sources mention that Foreign Minister Alain Juppé will be in Juba for South Sudan’s proclamation of independence on July 9. Was his participation conditioned on the absence of Omar al-Bashir?
As you know, France highly values the role and mission of the International Criminal Court. Let me remind you that Security Resolution 1593 adopted in 2005 refers the Darfur situation to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
The entire international community must remain mobilized and strongly committed to the fight against impunity for the authors of such crimes.
What’s your assessment of the conclusions of the latest African Union summit, notably on Libya?
France supports the African Union’s growing commitment to work for a political solution to the Libyan crisis. During this summit, the delegation of the National Transitional Council engaged in several discussions at the highest level.
The African Union confirmed that Qaddafi will not take part in transition negotiations. It submitted proposals to the concerned parties. They must be the ones to decide how to follow up on them.
We are pleased that the Malabo Summit made it possible to bring our respective positions closer together with respect to the elements needed for a political solution. Nevertheless, much work remains to be done before our positions converge, notably in regards to Qaddafi’s departure.
The contact group meeting in Istanbul on July 15 will provide an important opportunity to continue our dialogue with the African Union. We hope that several African countries will be represented in Istanbul, because the AU has an important role to play in the diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the crisis in Libya.
Turkey – Recognition of the Libyan National Transitional Council
What’s your response to Turkey’s recognition of the NTC?
The break in diplomatic relations between Turkey and Qaddafi’s Libya and Ankara’s recognition of the National Transitional Council isolate the Qaddafi regime a bit more and increase pressure on it, 10 days before the next contact group meeting in Istanbul.
Now more than ever, the time has come to focus all our efforts on a favorable outcome, as the Tripoli regime shows increasing signs of weakening.