18784: Blanchet:Fw: [Daily-briefing] Daily Press Briefing (February 18, 2004) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Max Blanchet <MaxBlanchet@worldnet.att.net>
>
>
>                          Daily Press Briefing
>                           Statements made by
>              the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson
>
>                       (Paris, February 18, 2004)
>      [Please note that only the original French text issued by the
>      French Ministry of Foreign Affairs may be considered official.
>                   ( http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr )]
>
>
> Today : FRANCE/THAILAND/CAMBODIA/LAOS/VIETNAM, HAITI
>
>
> FRANCE/THAILAND/CAMBODIA/LAOS/VIETNAM
> =====================================
>
> The Minister Delegate for Cooperation and Francophony, Pierre-André
> Wiltzer, will tour southeast Asia from February 19 to March 2: Thailand
> (February 19-21); Cambodia (February 21-24); Laos (February 24-25);
> Vietnam (February 26-March 2).  Mr. Wiltzer will pursue the regular
> political dialogue we have with each of these states in southeast Asia
> where, may I remind you, the head of state will be going for the fifth
> Asia-Europe summit (ASEM) which will be held in Hanoi.  The visit will
> also afford an opportunity to evaluate with each partner the sector
> priorities for our bilateral cooperation programs and the prospects for
> integrating development policies at the regional level.
>
> Mr. Wiltzer will visit several projects, among them the Asian Institute of
> Technology (Bangkok), archaeological digs (Siem Reap), the Calmette
> Hospital (Phnom Penh), the Institute for Tropical Medicine (Vientiane),
> the Polytechnic Institute in Hanoi, and the ESTHER/AIDS program at the
> Pasteur Institute (Ho Chi Minh City).
>
> The minister delegate will emphasize our solidarity with the countries of
> southeast Asia affected by the avian flu epidemic, which will be reflected
> in concrete assistance.
>
> HAITI
> =====
>
> Q - What came out of the crisis group on Haiti and the minister's
> consultations with his counterparts?  Might France provide the bulk of
> troops for an intervention force?
>
> I can confirm first of all that the crisis group on Haiti, announced by
> the Foreign Minister yesterday, did in fact meet yesterday.  It carefully
> examined the situation in Haiti and the measures that need to be
> envisioned in this context.
>
> The situation in Haiti is continuing to deteriorate to the detriment of
> the people who are now caught between the violence of various armed bands.
> A serious humanitarian crisis is shaping on.  Human rights violations are
> increasing.  It is essential to prevent the disorder from spreading.
>
> The situation calls for a prompt response by the parties concerned: the
> government and opposition must resume political dialogue immediately,
> without preconditions.  It is incumbent on them to begin talks to find
> together a peaceful, political solution to the crisis by exploring all the
> constitutional resources.
>
> For its part, the international community must increase its mobilization.
> The minister emphasized this yesterday: if it can help the Haitian people,
> it must do so, by supporting the efforts started many months ago by the
> OAS and the Caribbean Community, and by supporting the United Nations
> which last week sent an inter-agency team to assess the humanitarian
> situation.
>
> We must also consider what more we can do; in this spirit we are
> conferring with our principal partners to explore the possibilities for a
> political solution, possibly through mediation.
>
> In this context, as the minister said yesterday, the question may come up
> of a peacekeeping force.  I would remind you that the proposals made by
> CARICOM incorporate such a concept.  The point is to determine in
> consultation with all our partners what formula will make the most
> effective contribution to a political solution to the crisis in Haiti.
>
> Q - Do all the scenarios for possible intervention being studied by France
> in Haiti have to go through the UN Security Council?
>
> The United Nations is indeed concerned by the crisis in Haiti-the Security
> Council still has the question before it under the terms of past
> resolutions-but so too are CARICOM, the OAS and the International
> Francophony Organization. (I can confirm that the question of Haiti was
> discussed yesterday at the meeting Dominique de Villepin had with the
> secretary-general of the International Francophony Organization./.
>
>
>
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