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Foreign Policy

Budget debate in the Senate on the 2005 Finance Bill – Speech by Michel Barnier, Minister of Foreign Affairs (excerpts).

Paris, December 8, 2004

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We have three foreign policy priorities: the first is the management of the increasing number of crises in the world which present major challenges to international peace and stability: Iraq, Côte d’Ivoire, Darfur, the Great Lakes, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Haiti... There are more and more of them and they are increasingly diverse: natural disasters, air disasters, epidemics, wars, terrorism, drought, famine, locusts, and for some long-suffering countries it is pretty much everything!

Our action in all these crises is underpinned by the same principles: respect for the rule of law, a willingness to engage in dialogue and listen, a concern for justice and solidarity and a permanently-ready mobilization capability. In order to carry out our policy, we need well-trained diplomats, contributions to peacekeeping, budgetary appropriations for official development assistance (ODA) and emergency humanitarian aid and funding to look after the safety of our expatriate communities and diplomatic posts. (...) Our second priority is the control of globalization.

What are the issues here? The fight against poverty, sustainable development, quest for a balanced economic and social model, the building of Europe, cultural diversity and Francophony, and a well-thought-out approach to controlling migratory flows, and so on. (...)

How do we do all this? Through our contributions to international organizations and support for La Francophonie [international Francophone organization], by revamping our diplomatic network, treating asylum applications efficiently and with dignity, and modernizing our consular administration.

Our third priority – following on naturally from the first two – is to improve our working methods.

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I’d like to answer the questions put to me about some major current international affairs.

NATO/FUTURE ROLE

France is the third-largest contributor to NATO, and French generals command NATO’s two biggest current operations, in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

While we shall obviously be discussing transatlantic relations – we’ll be doing this tomorrow in Brussels when Mr Powell will be attending for the last time – NATO’s priority must be to concentrate on its operations. We must maintain NATO forces in Kosovo because the next few months will be difficult. The same is true for Afghanistan, where the situation is becoming more stable, but drugs have become a scourge: 80% of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from there. In all these crisis areas, there has to be a comprehensive, not just a military response.

IRAN/IAEA

I have worked on this issue a great deal with Jack Straw and Joschka Fischer and there are three reasons for encouragement. Through their action conducted with Javier Solana’s support, our three European States have demonstrated the existence of a united Europe which acts and convinces. Each of the three member States contributed to the negotiations and this made the agreement possible. None of us could have done it alone. Iran has accepted the suspension of her enrichment and reprocessing activities, this figures in the agreement signed on 15 November last in Paris.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed the suspension of these activities. The resolution presented by the three European countries was adopted by consensus. We are now prepared to begin negotiations on a long-term agreement with nuclear, economic and cooperation, and political and security chapters. This agreement should provide objective guarantees of the exclusively civilian purpose of Iran’s nuclear programme.

COTE D’IVOIRE

I have already addressed the Senate on this subject, just a few days after the bombing of Bouaké. I should like to pay tribute to the efforts of President Mbeki who went there on behalf of the African Union, with representatives of the European Union, the IMF and World Bank. President Bongo has also been heavily involved, and has shown all his characteristic wisdom. In fact it was he who revived the process at the Libreville meeting in November 2003. The African community has confirmed the need to implement the Marcoussis and Accra agreements in order to obtain the disarmament of the opposing forces – there’s no other solution – and this has the support of the international community. That is the basis for our continuing commitment. France’s mission isn’t to be a policeman but the continent’s partner in the pursuit of development, peace and stability.

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MIDDLE EAST

The instability of the Middle East is more than ever at the heart of our concerns. There is a need for peace, justice and security in that region. It is the duty of our generation to respond to that need.

A new situation has been created with the death of Yasser Arafat. Working together with the Europeans and the Quartet, the aim of our policy is to ensure that the political transition allows new Palestinian leaders to be appointed under the best possible conditions. This is why we actively support the holding of a transparent, democratic presidential election on 9 January which is open to all Palestinians. We have proposed 25 candidates – the maximum for France – to the European Commission, to be part of the team which will be led by M. Rocard. Apart from that, our priority is the resumption of the peace process. There now seems to be a greater willingness for dialogue. I have described the plan to withdraw from Gaza as “courageous”, as long as the territory will be viable and stable, offering young Palestinians a future. Finally, the idea of an international conference has been mooted: nothing has yet been clarified, but it ties in with what France has long been asking for, in order to get the Roadmap back on track. There is no alternative to this solution, apart from the spiral of violence which is striking both the children of Israel and the children of Palestine.

France is making every effort to get those involved to seize this opportunity – the first for a very long time.

IRAQ

At Sharm el Sheikh, on 23 November, the countries most concerned by this conflict and all the neighbouring countries agreed to support the transition process provided for under UNSCR 1546. How could France not have been present at such a conference, which reintroduces a bit of multilateralism into the international action? We have employed all our influence to obtain the adoption of texts reflecting our views: broadening the scope of Iraqi political activity to the whole of the country, especially during the elections scheduled for 30 January; reassertion of the prospect of the foreign troops pulling out by 31 December 2005.

In addition, we want to provide bilateral assistance to the Iraqi authorities to get their country back on its feet – without envisaging any military engagement whatsoever. The European Union is putting together a package of measures for the 30 January poll, and in the sphere of the rule of law. A special effort has been made by the Paris Club to reduce significantly the burden of Iraqi debt: incrementally, 80% of Iraqi debt owed to the Club has been cancelled. At Sharm el Sheikh, we asked for a similar effort to be made by the other creditors. Constructive and vigilant, we know there are considerable security problems. The only long-term solution is a political one – we must give the Iraqis back control of their destiny. (...) ./.