Today's Date:

(…) TERRORISM

– The terrorist threat exists, not only in France, but throughout the world and is, by definition, threatening. So everything must be done to counter it. For this, we must start by trying to fight against the centres we obviously know about, like al-Qaida, which is being done. In this sphere, France's participation in the operations against the terrorists in Afghanistan has, I believe, indeed can be said to have been exemplary. Secondly, cooperation between countries has, generally speaking, both in the UN, and in a bilateral or multilateral framework, grown considerably stronger, inter alia at the police, judicial, intelligence and other services' levels. The same goes for the action being taken against the financing of terrorism. You've seen that France has been absolutely at the forefront of the countries who – as agreed at the UN – have frozen accounts, because we were convinced they were linked to terrorist organizations.

(…)

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION/SANGATTE

– No, it will for a start resolve the problem of Sangatte, which won't be a bad thing. And it will also resolve some of the difficulties we've experienced with our British friends because we hadn't got the same rules. As for the Sangatte problem, I think it's going to be resolved, I'm very pleased to say, in the next few months. We have the broader problem of illegal immigration in general. I'm not talking about immigration – that's necessary. I'm talking about illegal immigration. (…)

We must strengthen our controls at the borders, at the Community's [external] borders, and this is the decision we took [in Seville]. We must harmonize our legislation, because illegal immigrants are clearly taking advantage of the differences in the legislation [in our countries], this is particularly true in the case of Britain.

Finally, in France we must immediately reform the right of asylum. The situation regarding the right of asylum is absurd in France. This right itself reflects something essential in our culture and history. But today, when someone applies for asylum, the decision takes 18 months, that's absurd (…).

– Today, we must implement measures enabling us to deal with asylum applications very quickly. And, for me that means in less than a month. Except in special cases. There are things which could be done much more simply. We know that in the case of some of the countries from which many asylum seekers come there are absolutely no political or personal safety grounds justifying their applications, and that they are simply economic migrants. So it's absolutely essential to reform the right of asylum.

DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

There's another fundamental point, development assistance: people don't leave their countries just for the pleasure of going somewhere else, they do so because they are destitute and so development assistance is the only answer the rich world can and must give to the problems of the immigrants' countries of origin, which prompt them to leave.

Lastly, there's a final, crucial point which is the development of a monstrous Mafia-like system preying on this human misery, which is worse than slavery and consists in going to find people, taking their last savings, luring them to leave with the promise of a fortune, and subsequently leaving them high and dry, and destitute, on our beaches or in our ports. (…) In Seville we decided – in fact it was our proposal – to put in place an extremely efficient system to combat, find, punish and eradicate these Mafia-like systems.

CAP

– Yes, and I'm one of the people gnashing their teeth! Quite simply because, while I don't dispute some of the European Commission's guidelines and am, of course, wholly in favour of us having an ecologically responsible agricultural sector, provided it remains economically strong – that's the essential thing –, behind a number of arguments being developed as a facade, there's a far more serious reality: the desire of some countries, starting in fact with our German, British and Dutch friends, to reduce their financial contribution to Europe. So I'm simply saying that we took a decision in 1999 for the period until 2006. There's absolutely no reason to change the contract.

– No, not at all. Absolutely not.

– There won't be a European crisis. We are well-brought-up, civilized people. We now have a long experience of dealing with our differences. There won't be a European crisis. There will be a solution which will be worked out at the appropriate moment, i.e. before 2006, for the period as from 2006, taking account of the interests of both the Fifteen and the Ten who are going to join, and to whom we won't, of course – contrary to what some people think – be able to refuse, agricultural support. And in a general context which will satisfy, I hope, our German and Dutch friends' demands, which I can understand, to reduce their high net contributions to the European Union. But there are other dimensions we can talk about, that of social cohesion, and many others.

(…)

– …But I won't sacrifice France's ability to be the world's leading exporter of processed agricultural products and second-largest exporter of agricultural products with all that represents in the way of employment and also power, I won't sacrifice that on what seem to me unjustified grounds.

DEFENSE/AIRCRAFT CARRIER

– I very much hope there will be a second aircraft carrier. I can't answer the questions you have just asked, which require lengthy studies and can't be answered just like that. Weighty decisions aren't taken just like that, overnight. That said, we need to strengthen our military capabilities. For some time, we have been slipping behind Britain, this has serious consequences for our political power, our ability to act politically and also to defend our interests in the world and our nationals. So it's essential for us to get things back on an even keel.

Getting things back on an even keel means first of all taking account – and this the government is going to do by carrying out the promises its predecessor made on the military front, increasing our armed forces' equipment budget and starting with the absolute priority: the repairs, so that we can have equipment which works, which isn't the case at the moment. We have a very great effort to make.

And so, it's true, the military estimates act decided on by the previous government will be amended to take account of these demands and start a process of building up our assets. That, incidentally, prompts me to say that our European partners would be well advised to have the same concern, since you can't, at one and the same time, want a Europe which is a world power, as we do, and a Europe with a foreign policy and defence, with a remit going beyond the market and social progress, and not have the requisite military assets. And it no longer has them (…) except for Britain of course. (…)

JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT/KYOTO PROTOCOL

– M. Poivre d'Arvor, my conversion to the ecologist cause dates back a very long time. (…)

…and these are matters I've been working on for a long time. On the other hand, I'm obviously not involved in the current anti-nuclear campaigns some ecologists are conducting and I don't espouse their cause. However, I do know that today the speed of the planet's environmental deterioration is greater than its capacity for regeneration. (…) Consequently, today we must act. (…) It isn't a problem of ideology. It isn't a political problem. It's one of life itself.

– (…) I took advantage of the G8 Summit in Canada to mobilize everyone and try, particularly because of the presence of the country hosting the Johannesburg Summit, the South African President Mr Mbeki, and Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the UN, the host organization, to mobilize everyone. And I think we're nevertheless going to succeed, particularly in some essential spheres, like that of water, in achieving progress and ensuring Johannesburg isn't a failure.

We can't, vis-ΰ-vis the general public all over the world, accept failure in Johannesburg. We just can't. But if it were to be case, it would be really very worrying. Admittedly, our American friends are lagging far behind and that doesn't make things any simpler. We shall do the utmost to convince them and at least make progress. You can count on me in this sphere./.