Today's Date:

Speech by Jacques Chirac, President of the Republic, at the official dinner hosted in honour of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Abdullah ibn Abdul Aziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia

Paris, April 13, 2005

(...) It is a great pleasure and a special honour to welcome Your Royal Highness on this official visit, a visit testifying, if that were needed, to the exceptional quality of relations between Saudi Arabia and France. Our last meeting took place in June 2003, on the occasion of the Evian Summit. I greatly appreciated then your willingness to act as spokesman for your country and your region in that international forum. This new visit to Paris was eagerly awaited and desired. You are at home, here, and we are all honoured by your friendship. Beyond its personal dimension, of which I am deeply appreciative, your presence bears eloquent witness to the close and longstanding ties between our two countries. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is no longer just a great friend with whom our dialogue is consistently warm and confident; she is also a major player in the international community, ever concerned to preserve the balance, stability and peace of the Middle East, a region of strategic importance. Thanks to her responsible conduct in the energy market, Saudi Arabia is also playing a restraining role which is helping to sustain the growth necessary to the welfare of the world. France will stand by you in meeting all the challenges of our times.

It is now nearly nine years since we formed a privileged partnership with His Majesty King Fahd, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques – please convey to him my loyal friendship and deep esteem. We hope to see that partnership wax strong and expand over the years. That event took place in the age-old city of Jeddah, which I visited with a sense of emotion. We all recall the role which you, thanks to your wisdom and experience, played in that momentous choice. And, with the passing of time, we all realize how justified it was. Since then, the bonds between France and Saudi Arabia have grown much stronger, and the presence of Your Royal Highness here in Paris this evening offers our two countries a unique opportunity to emphasize clearly the importance we intend to give to the development of relations between them and to their strategic dialogue at the highest level.

In a region whose stability is precarious even now, despite signs of progress, regular consultation between France and the Kingdom is vital. A broad convergence of views has once again emerged in the course of our talks. And this confirms us in the conviction that we must act together, with the international community, the European Union and the countries of the region, in order to turn these hopes into reality.

IRAQ

Iraq is a case in point. The elections of 30 January 2005 marked an important step in the political process laid down in UNSCR 1546. To guarantee the integrity of that country and stability in the region, all sections of society and all political forces that renounce violence must be brought into the construction of a democratic State, one in which the Iraqi people can take full control of their own destiny.

In Lebanon, where a vile attack has cost the life of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri – a very close friend of both Saudi Arabia and France – we stand beside the Lebanese people in their desire to restore democracy and recover their country’s independence, freedom and sovereignty. This implies the holding of fully-democratic elections within the prescribed deadlines, and hence the formation of a new government. This is the will of the Lebanese people and the international community, expressed in UNSCR 1559. In addition, an international Mission of Inquiry, as decided by the United Nations, must elucidate the full circumstances of Mr Hariri’s assassination and establish who was responsible, so that the perpetrators and instigators can be punished.

ISRAEL/PALESTINE

In Israel and Palestine, the Gaza withdrawal must serve as the occasion for a revival of the Roadmap for bringing about a Palestinian State living in peace and security side by side with Israel. In this respect, your initiative, adopted by the Arab League Summit in Beirut in 2002 and reiterated at the recent summit in Algiers, remains an essential framework for the solution to the conflict.

IRAN

Finally, Iran has entered into negotiations with France, Germany and Britain concerning the peaceful use of her nuclear programme as well as long-term political and economic arrangements with the European countries. An agreement would impart a new dimension to Iran’s relations with the countries of the region and the members of the international community, thereby strengthening the stability of the Middle East, the Gulf especially. Your Royal Highness, ladies and gentlemen,

SAUDI ARABIA/TERRORISM

France sets great store by her privileged relationship with Saudi Arabia. And especially so when difficult circumstances arise.

The Kingdom has been hit by terrorist violence in recent years, sowing death and destruction in several of the country’s cities. Under the leadership of Your Royal Highness, Saudi Arabia has faced up to it, achieving signal successes in her efforts to combat this danger from which no one today is safe. She has also helped to mobilize the international community against the threat by holding a conference on terrorism, in which we played an active part. Together, within the framework of the United Nations and the treaties binding us, we are determined to do everything in our power to defeat this evil which nothing can ever justify. Terrorism has exacted a heavy toll on France herself, who will stand foursquare with the Saudis, as she always has done whenever the region has gone through unsettled times. We are confident in the future of Saudi Arabia and are ready to respond to her needs at all times.

POVERTY REDUCTION/CLIMATE CHANGE/EU

We would also like to develop a dialogue with Saudi Arabia on all of the global issues where the international community is waiting to hear the voice of your country – issues such as poverty reduction in order to bring greater justice to the world, and the future of our planet confronted with the threat of climate change. The European Union hopes to pursue further discussions and action on these issues with its partners in the Gulf.

SAUDI ARABIA/INTERNAL CHANGE

Under your guidance, the Kingdom has undertaken an ambitious programme of transformation, to which I wish to pay tribute. The various National Dialogue sessions, the recent changes in the Consultative Council and the holding of municipal elections (partial) are all initiatives that deserve to be welcomed. Since whatever the country, these reforms must flow from the will of its people and must respect their particular identity if they are to be lasting.

In the economic and social sphere also, the Kingdom has embarked on a policy of adapting Saudi institutions to their environment. Your ambition is that these initiatives will offer your fellow countrymen, and the young generation especially, all that they can legitimately wish for: education, training, employment and prosperity. In that regard, the institutions of France, and her companies large and small, stand ready to assist in this drive for modernization, with their capabilities, their know-how and their imagination.

Your Royal Highness, there is a powerful desire among our two nations to draw closer together while respecting their cultures. This is the spirit of the dialogue of civilizations to which both our countries are so strongly attached. Ours is a promising partnership, being based on the desire of our two peoples for peace and stability, and for the development of our economies and societies. It is therefore with great joy and hope for the future that we welcome you here today.

Please allow me, Your Royal Highness, to greet you and your accompanying delegation by expressing my wishes for your personal happiness and success, for that of His Majesty King Fahd Ibn Abdelaziz and all the senior officials of the Kingdom, for the happiness of the Saudi people, and for the strengthening of the deep friendship that unites our two countries./.