Today's Date:

Cooperation that counts

1. Drawing the optimum benefits from the new situation in the Mideast

The disagreement between France and the United States over the war in Iraq belongs to the past. The objective of the international community as a whole is to assist Iraq in its transition, in the framework defined by Security Council resolution 1546. The Brussels conference was co-hosted by the European Union and the United States. We want the Iraqis to be given prospects that will enable them to regain their full sovereignty and control of their future. France, in a national capacity, is contributing to Iraq’s reconstruction (about $ 18 million in 2005), has proposed to contribute to training Iraqi security forces and has agreed a substantial relief of official debt through the Paris Club. She contributes also through the EU budget (17% of $240 million in 2005).

In the Mideast, France shares President Bush's vision of two states, Israel and Palestine. It is concerned both for Israeli security and the Palestinians' national aspirations. It supports the Quartet's road map and is pleased to note President Bush's personal involvement. We hope the withdrawal from Gaza, which we support, takes place under satisfactory condition. There’s a timetable that has been defined. For us, what’s important is for the withdrawal to be well coordinated between Israelis and Palestinians, especially from the security standpoint.

The United States and France, together with the rest of the international community, pledged in Resolution 1559 to stand with Lebanon in fulfilling these aspirations. We support the extension of the sole and exclusive control of the Government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory, and stand ready to assist in this. France and the United States stand ready to respond to requests for assistance by a sovereign and democratic Lebanese government formed as a result of the elections.

France favours the goal of democracy. France is anxious to take democracy forward with due regard for the culture and civilization of all our partners. There's no point in wanting to impose ready-made solutions, imported from outside, which risk arousing rejection and intolerance. As for the method, contrary to received ideas, France is no supporter of the status quo. She knows the virtues of change and progress, but for peoples to accept these they have to understand them. This is true in both the Middle East and Africa.

2. The fight against international terrorism: the number-one priority

Like the United States, France has been the victim of terrorism at home and abroad (11 French nationals were killed in Pakistan, three in Morocco, Yemen) and intends to bring a global and coordinated response to this effort.

After the tragedy of September 11, President Chirac was the first head of State to come to America after 9/11, on the 18th and 19th of September. France supported Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan (some 5,500 French soldiers were deployed to the region).

France is the only country, alongside the United States, to have sent bombers to Afghanistan, from Kyrgyzstan and the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. French forces provide logistical support to the Afghan theater, transporting coalition troops and equipment with the assistance of French detachments stationed in Uzbekistan, and resupplying U.S. warships and U.S. Navy fighter planes.

Around 1,500 French troops make France a major partner of the United States in Afghanistan. French contributions include troops deployed through the International Security and Assistance Force (600, 7% of ISAF), training of the Afghan national army, Operation Enduring Freedom on the ground ( about 200 Special Forces), at sea (2 frigates and 1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft), and in the air (2 transport aircraft);

French and American inter-agency cooperation on terrorism is ongoing (in Africa, notably East Africa; in North Africa; in the Mideast; and in the Caucasus, where several terrorist organizations with links to al Qaeda are based, as uncovered by the French anti-terrorist judge Jean-Louis Bruguière). U.S. authorities have emphasized that France's cooperation is exemplary.

3. France: an ally with the will and means to act on the ground

France is not a "pacifist" country: about 34,000 French troops are deployed overseas, including 13,000 participating in peace-keeping operations :

France is a major player in NATO : NATO runs an ongoing transformation and France fully participates in this process. France is one of the major contributors to the NATO Response Force. With about 4,000 troops, France is the second largest Member State contributor to NATO operations on a par with Italy and after Germany. Two French generals recently took command of the two major NATO forces: ISAF in Afghanistan and KFOR in Kosovo. From the very beginning, France supported the American proposal to create a NATO Response Force. It supported the NATO intervention in Afghanistan (ISAF III and IV) and supported Poland's request to use NATO capabilities (multinational force to secure Iraq).

With numerous troops overseas, France is a strong US partner in advancing security throughout the world. As an example, the 7,000 French troops in the Caribbean area and Guyana play a major role in counter drug trafficking alongside the US Joint Inter Agency Task Force South. Another example is found with the 10,000 French forces which are present in the Pacific region and the Southern Indian Ocean where they are controlling sea lanes.

Contrary to a general trend in Europe, France will substantially boost its military expenditures in the coming years (+4.3% from 2003 to 2004, +7.5% from 2002 to 2003) to prepare for future interventions (OTAN, EU, Berlin Plus agreement).

-Afghanistan: see point 2)

-The Balkans: France is the largest one in Kosovo with 2 400 troops (13.7 % of KFOR) and has deployed 500 troops in Bosnia (7.5% of EUFOR);.

-Africa: France and the United States have a similar approach to several major issues (the Great Lakes region, the Horn, Sudan). 1,000 troops in Chad and 200 in the Central African Republic contribute, at the invitation of both governments, to the stability of these countries and to the training of their armed forces for peace-keeping operations;

- Darfur : To Address the Humanitarian Crisis in Darfur, Sudan, France mobilized military transport capabilities in Chad for humanitarian relief operations. French aircraft airlifted 700 tons of humanitarian aid. In addition, 200 French troops in Chad contribute to the stabilization of the Chad/Sudan border and French F-1 Mirages carry out daily reconnaissance missions on the Chadian side of the Chad-Sudan border. France is also supporting the deployment of the African Union mission in Darfur: a French colonel is vice president of the AU’s ceasefire monitoring commission, which also receives French logistical and medical support. Two French Army officers are part of the Abeche monitoring team, and two more French army officers are working with the AU planning unit in Addis Ababa.

-Côte d'Ivoire: 4,000 troops are currently deployed there. France has a permanent military presence in Côte d’Ivoire, under the terms of a defense agreement with that country. In the fall of 2002, under the terms of a United Nations resolution, France deployed around 4,000 troops there in order to prevent a civil war. Following the 2004 November violent events in Côte d’Ivoire, 960 additional troops were deployed. The current mission consists of protecting non-combatant foreigners and supporting UN forces in charge, inter alia, of monitoring the ceasefire and assisting the parties in undertaking DDR.

-Liberia : France evacuated about 100 Americans from Liberia on June 8 and 9, 2003.

- Haiti:Together with its partners, France participates in the international community’s commitment to Haiti in order to contribute to a peaceful and democratic transition after free and fair elections. France has taken the initiative of organizing a ministerial meeting on the reconstruction of Haiti, held in Cayenne on March, 18, 2005, with the US participation and of all other major partners, which adopted significant development projects to improve the living conditions of the population and was followed up in Montreal last month.

-Asia: France and the United States are working together closely to help ease tensions between India and Pakistan.

4. Challenge represented by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is particularly troubling (possible connections with terrorism, certain dictatorial regimes or failed governments). France is constantly coordinating with the United States through exchanges of information, by nature discreet. It has proposed a Security Council meeting on this subject at the level of heads of state and government.

-With regard to North Korea, France, like the United States, is supporting the ongoing political and diplomatic process which is seeking, through diplomacy, a solution to the North Korea nuclear issue. We are calling for North Korea to return to the six-country talks immediately and unconditionally, after nearly a year's absence.

- Paris and Washington agreed to ask Iran to respect its obligations with regard to the NPT and show all the necessary transparency with regard to its nuclear programs. Europe is playing a vanguard role, with the support of the international community, including the US. French, Germans, British, with the High Representative Javier Solana, have set in train, here too, a diplomatic process which is better than all the other options. And in this negotiation, we are moving forward with Iran with our eyes open. Our objective has always been clear: to prevent that great country from developing a fissile material production capability which could be used to manufacture a nuclear weapon.

-France and the United States are participating jointly in the G8 global partnership against proliferation, which is working to dismantle nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union.

5. France: a partner for a better world

We welcome the willingness of the United States to increase its aid to Africa. This dovetails with a priority that France has long put forward, specifically at the G8 summit in Evian. France and the United States have launched a joint initiative to reduce the risks of famine in Africa.

France and its European partners, which account for 55% of total official development assistance in the world, are determined to do still more to assist Africa and the developing countries. France has pledged to raise its effort in regard to ODA to 0.5% of GDP in 2007 and to 0.7% in 2012. It advocates the establishment of international solidarity contributions. Firm commitments have also been made by the European Union. It is essential to do more in terms of debt relief, but debt is not everything. What matters is all the resources mobilized for development and the integration of Africa into the world economy. We therefore need new sources of additional funds. They would have to be more stable and foreseeable. Such resources are essential to finance the long-term strategies driving sustainable development .

France and the United States are also active in the fight against AIDS. France hailed President Bush's decision to earmark $15 billion over the next five years to fight this scourge. France has decided to triple its contribution to the World Fund against AIDS and numerous bilateral cooperation programs with specific components to fight that pandemic.

6. France and the United States: interdependent economies

United States commercial ties with France are extensive, mutually profitable, and growing, with approximately $1 billion in commercial transactions taking place between the two countries every day of the year.

France is the fourth largest foreign investor in the United States in terms of 2003 flows, ahead of Germany and the United Kingdom. The United States is the seventh largest investor in France.

Subsidiaries of French companies employ some 515,000 people in the United States; American companies provide some 550,000 jobs in France.

France is the ninth trade partner of the United States. French exports to the United States amount to € 23 billion in 2004. The United States is France's third-largest supplier (€ 22.4 billion).