Daily press briefing by Ministry Deputy Spokesperson
Statements made by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Deputy Spokesperson (excerpts)
(Paris, 4 August 2008)
[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 )]
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17TH INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE
The 17th International Conference of the IAS (International AIDS Society) is being held in Mexico City from 3 to 8 August.
The French delegation headed by Ambassador Viossat, who is in charge of the fight against HIV/AIDS and transmissible diseases, is made up of experts from the relevant ministries, including the director of the National Agency for AIDS and Viral Hepatitis Research (ANRS) and the head of the public interest group ESTHER […].
A message from President Sarkozy will be read at the plenary session of 5 August and a message from the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs will be made public during the conference.
The French delegation will present our efforts on access to care, the fight against discrimination, and the free movement of people affected with HIV/AIDS. Each year, France allocates €360 million to fight AIDS, most of it within a multilateral framework. She is the leading European contributor and the second-largest contributor to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
An ANRS/IAS prize will be awarded at the plenary session of 8 August to recognize the excellence of young researchers.
VISIT TO BURMA BY THE SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION
The human rights situation in Burma remains very troubling.
We welcome the forthcoming visit to Burma by the new UN Special Rapporteur, Tomas Ojea Quintana, on the situation of human rights in that country.
We ask the Burmese authorities to allow the Special Rapporteur to fulfil his mission in the best possible conditions and to cooperate with him fully and openly.
Once again France calls on the Burmese authorities to respect human rights, to establish a real national reconciliation process and to release all political prisoners, beginning with Aung San Suu Kyi.
MIDDLE EAST
Q. - Israeli Defence Forces Chief of Staff Gaby Ashkenazy said this morning that Israel knew where the soldier Gilat Shalit was being held and that he was alive. Any comment?
The French authorities remain mobilized to obtain the release of Gilad Shalit. We renew our call for his immediate release.
IRAN/NUCLEAR
Q. - Do you have any comment on the Iranian statements made this weekend on Tehran’s nuclear programme? Do you consider them a rejection of your proposals, and, if so, what do you see as the next step?
We are consulting this very day with our partners and with Javier Solana, who must brief us on the telephone conversation he had this morning with the Iranian negotiator, Saeed Jalili. Thus far we have not received a clear response to the proposals made by the Six on 19 July in Geneva./.