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Daily Press Briefing Statements made by [Please note that only the original French text issued by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs may be considered official.] FRANCE/GERMANY
Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin went to Germany Wednesday, May 15, for a working luncheon at the invitation of his counterpart, Joschka Fischer, in the context of the Franco-German consultation process launched on January 31, 2001 by the heads of state and government at Blaesheim.
This was the foreign minister's first bilateral visit, reflecting his wish to give new impetus to Franco-German relations, especially in the context of European integration, so as to have a united approach for the main upcoming meetings. As the minister said, it is essential for Germany and France to work together hand in hand.
At their meeting, the two ministers discussed bilateral issues, especially with a view to the upcoming Franco-German summit in the summer, the main international events and principal European questions: enlargement and the convention on Europe's future.
European Affairs Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres had a working breakfast meeting this morning, Thursday, May 16, 2002, at the Quai d'Orsay with his Spanish counterpart, Ramon de Miguel.
The meeting afforded an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of bilateral relations between France and Spain and look at the main European questions.
The two ministers reviewed the preparation for the internal market council meeting on May 21. They also discussed the main European meetings coming up under the Spanish presidency, particularly the forthcoming European Union/Latin America and European Union/Russia summits and the next ASEM meeting.
Lastly, they looked at preparations for the European council in Seville, especially European Union enlargement and Council reform.
Q - Do you have any reaction to the results scored by Pim Fortuyn's party in the Netherlands?
We have taken note of the results of the legislative elections in the Netherlands which showed first that the Christian Democrat party had won.
The future Dutch government now has to be formed. Together with all our partners, we shall naturally be attentive to the directions of this government./.
Embassy of France, May 16, 2002
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