Today's Date:

Interview given by Mme Michèle Alliot-Marie, Minister of Defence, to "RTL" (excerpts)

BUNIA/MONUC/ARTEMIS

Q. - You're just back from a visit to Africa, where you went with the Belgian defence minister, André Flahaut. You went to north-east Congo, to a province, Ituri, wracked by some terrible massacres. In Bunia, Ituri's chief town, a European force "Artemis" is trying to restore law and order. Successfully, in your opinion?

THE MINISTER - Yes. There had been a huge number of massacres in this region, despite MONUC's presence.

Q. - MONUC, is that the EU?

THE MINISTER - MONUC is the Blue Helmets force. Those massacres had led the United Nations Secretary-General to ask France for an interim force - I want to make this very clear, a force to operate between the beginning of June and 1 September - for the period between the end of MONUC 1's mandate and the arrival of the new MONUC force, scheduled for 1 September.

The European force's mandate has been confined to the town of Bunia, where there had been massacres and from where the inhabitants had fled, Bunia airport, to make it safe and secure, and the immediate surrounding area.

Q. - Are they the European troops commanded by the French?

THE MINISTER - France is the framework nation of a European operation involving a total of eleven countries. This has proved an extremely difficult operation, with an airport runway which had to be repaired every time planes land, the impossibility of bringing equipment in by dirt road because we're at the height of the rainy season and everything has collapsed, and also with militia who were causing these massacres, militia made up of young people often drugged and heavily armed.

Q. - And in the chief town, how do you think things are going to end up?

THE MINISTER - What did I find today? That life had resumed in this town which, before, had been completely deserted, with no one any longer either on the streets or dirt roads. I saw people, following African tradition, walking in the streets, where market stalls had been set up, people cultivating their land with a degree of confidence which has returned, even though, in the province as a whole, a number of problems obviously remain. This is due to the very great professionalism of the military personnel on the spot.

EUROPEAN RAPID INTERVENTION FORCE/DEFENCE EUROPE

Q. - So, do you think this European Artémis force constitutes the beginnings of a European rapid intervention force?

THE MINISTER - Yes, absolutely. What was fantastic is that under these very difficult conditions this force was set up in a few days. Both the European authorities and the military reacted tremendously fast. This operation is the first autonomous European Union operation. It is indeed the beginnings of the European rapid intervention force scheduled to come into being by the end of the year.

Q. - It's interesting that we're talking about European defence, after the dissension, particularly between France and Britain, at the time of the intervention in Iraq.

THE MINISTER - Europe has reached a point of maturity, where it is now capable of isolating any one-off problems pitting some of its members against each other and giving priority to building for the long term. Today, I personally reckon that Defence Europe exists, even though it needs to be bolstered, particularly on the capability front, on which all the European countries must make extra efforts. But today, we are demonstrating in Macedonia, where we took over from NATO, and above all in Ituri where we're operating autonomously, that Defence Europe exists.

IRAQ/FRANCE/RECONSTRUCTION/AFGHANISTAN

Q. - We've talked about Iraq, so we know the French position: no French troops in Iraq if there isn't a UN resolution, but do you want this resolution? Would it be a good thing for France to go over there?

THE MINISTER - We've always said we were ready and willing to help in the reconstruction of Iraq. We think that the Iraqi people need the international community to make their return to normal living conditions - not just normal daily but also political life - possible. So we are indeed ready to take part in an operation, but there are two prerequisites: first of all that there's a new UN resolution and also that we receive a request. For the moment those two conditions haven't been met.

Q. - A request from whom?

THE MINISTER - I mean a request in particular from the United States and the British.

Q. - In what could France be useful over there?

THE MINISTER - France has demonstrated her expertise when it comes to reconstruction. In fact, she's contributing to this in Afghanistan. Let me remind you that in Afghanistan we are training the new national Afghan armed forces. There's also European participation in the rebuilding of an Afghan police force. Similarly, in the Balkans, we are contributing with the local authorities to restoring the rule of law and getting all the essential institutions of State functioning again.

BRAZIL/BETANCOURT

Q. - Let me come back to the French troops themselves, with a detour via Latin America. What lessons have you learned from the French expedition to Brazil which didn't succeed in getting Ingrid Bétancourt back?

THE MINISTER - What I can tell you simply is that about once a month, the Defence Ministry deploys a military plane for humanitarian operations. The most recent was for one of your colleagues who had been injured in Monrovia and for whom we sent a plane. So this was the case in Brazil, an emergency rescue plane with a doctor on board was sent on the basis of confidential information which had been given to the family to the effect that Mme Bétancourt was likely to be released. Regrettably, that wasn't the case.

Q. - And Brazil hasn't understood all that?

THE MINISTER - I gather the matter is closed, judging by what your fellow journalists have written.

DEFENCE MINISTRY BUDGET

Q. - Have all the necessary decisions for next year's budgets in France been taken? Are you satisfied with the spending framework set for the Defence Ministry?

THE MINISTER - President Chirac has said that modernizing our defence was a priority. The 2004 budget is continuing this effort and is perfectly in line with the military estimates Act passed at the beginning of this year.

Q. - We hear that the capital budget is up. Does that mean that cut-backs will be needed on operating expenditure, inter alia on staff costs?

THE MINISTER - No, not at all. As regards the military estimates Act, I made sure it was fully respected. That said, the Defence Ministry will make efforts like all the ministries, because we've been asked to, but I think they'll be made on the civilian side of the Defence Ministry. (...)/.