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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
The French and German foreign ministers, Mr. Hubert Védrine and Mr. Joschka Fischer, will be meeting in Paris on August 29-30.
The ministers will meet together separately, and will also attend meetings with the President, Prime Minister and Chancellor as foreseen in Blaesheim on January 31. This meeting is designed to lay the groundwork for an upcoming 5-person meeting in Germany with the heads of state and government.
The two foreign ministers will hold a working dinner on August 29 and will continue their work the next morning. A press briefing will be held at 11 A.M.
The objective, beyond laying the groundwork for the aforementioned meeting, is to work at creating convergences between the French and German positions in all areas that have to do with our relations.
Q - (What are the main topics that will be discussed?)
As usual, topics dealing with the building of Europe will certainly be discussed: enlargement, the future of Europe, preparing the main deadlines with the Belgian presidency... They will also talk about major European policy subjects, and two in particular: the Mideast, of course--Mr. Fischer's mission, and current thoughts on the subject; and Macedonia. But they may talk about other subjects. It will depend on their time and how they organize their work.
We deplore the death of an English soldier killed on August 26 during his participation in a NATO peace mission. France is filled with dismay, and presents its condolences to the parents and family of the victim.
Everyone on the ground must cooperate with the NATO peace mission, which is in the interest of all.
WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM
On the eve of his departure for Africa and the Conference against Racism in Durban, Mr. Kofi Annan spoke yesterday evening with the foreign minister. Mr. Védrine conveyed to him his assessment of the situation in the Great Lakes region of Africa following his own trip to the region.
They also discussed the Mideast situation, and the minister informed him of the launching of operations in the FYROM.
They expressed the hope that the Durban Conference would be constructive.
Q - (Does that mean the meeting has to be constructive without the Americans?)
We hope, of course, that the entire international community will be involved in the fight against racism. That presupposes the most widespread possible participation in Durban. It also presupposes that this conference not become a forum for confrontation, particularly with regard to regional crises.
We learned of the Secretary of State's decision not to personally attend the World Conference against Racism. His decision does not call for comments on our part. It is naturally up to the United States to establish the modalities for its participation in the conference.
Q - (Will France be represented?)
Certainly. It will be represented by the Deputy Minister for Cooperation and Francophony, Mr. Charles Josselin, who is directly in charge of many aspects of this issue and is well acquainted with the African figures who will be in Durban.
Q - (Has France done anything to find common ground between the two positions--the Arab, Islamic one and the Israeli one?)
Our position is clear: First, we consider that Zionism cannot be likened to racism. We also think that a consensus is necessary to determine whether the issue should be dealt with at the Conference. That is our hope. And it is the European Union's hope. On that subject, France has taken no particular position to my knowledge. It's an EU position.
Q - (What was the message conveyed by the human rights organizations and associations yesterday during their working lunch with Mr. Josselin on the question of racism?)
You should ask the associations. Mr. Josselin's message was that he hopes the Conference is constructive. As he repeated this morning before the Ambassadors' Conference, times have changed, the countries of the South have new, legitimate concerns and it is up to those countries and to the European countries to continue a constructive dialogue on all subjects that are currently important for the African countries. In this context, the ideas that non-governmental players might contribute to the debate are important.
Mr. Josselin attributes great importance to the debate with associations and NGOs and will not fail to receive them before each important date, such as Durban.
Q - (The Pentagon has confirmed the loss of a spy plane in southern Iraq. Do you have any comment?)
Not particularly. Our position concerning the no-fly zones and who can pass through them is well known. Our position hasn't changed. We are no longer taking part in these missions; it's definitive with regard to the north, and we've suspended our participation in the southern zone.
Q - (Did Mr. Védrine have a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Mr. Kharazi?)
I can confirm that Mr. Védrine had a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart and that they spoke mainly about regional issues.
Q - (That is...?)
There were quite a few: Iraq, the Mideast, etc.
Q - (And at whose initiative did this conversation take place?)
I am not in a position to specify.
Q - (Was the purpose to advise the Iranians not to open a front in southern Lebanon?)
I don't want to go into detail about the conversation between the two foreign ministers.
Q - (Is Mr. Védrine contemplating a visit to Teheran in the near future?)
I am not aware of any immediate travel plans. For now, their next contact should be at the UN General Assembly, the week of September 24-28.
(Three people, members of the Falun Gong, have been detained in China.)
Yes, we are aware of this troubling information. We and our European partners are paying close attention to China's repressive measures against the members of the Falun Gong movement. We have regularly expressed our concern to the Chinese authorities within the framework of the Euro-Chinese dialogue./.
Embassy of France, August 28, 2001
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