Daily press briefing by Ministry Deputy Spokesperson

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION ON THE SITUATION OF ARASH AND KAMIAR ALAEI

The Presidency of the Council of the European Union is deeply concerned by the situation of Arash and Kamiar Alaei in Iran, two doctors who were arbitrarily arrested on 21 and 22 June 2008.

In their latest statements, the Iranian authorities have without any foundation accused the Alaei brothers, who are internationally recognized for their work in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in Iran, of participating in activities to destabilize the Islamic Republic.

The Presidency of the Council of the European Union calls on the Iranian government to immediately release Arash and Kamiar Alaei and to drop all charges that might be brought against them.

FLOODING IN SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE/FRENCH HUMANITARIAN AID

In response to the flooding that has affected several south-eastern European countries (Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia and Ukraine) since late July, France will provide emergency humanitarian aid at the request of local authorities in Moldova and Romania.

In conjunction with the Moldovan Red Cross, our embassy in Moldova will provide emergency humanitarian aid for nearly 450 families, distributing such staple goods as food, sanitation products, blankets, etc.

In Romania, where the authorities communicated their need for generators, our embassy in Bucharest will provide them with generators on behalf of the French government.

MAURITANIA

Q. - What information do you have on the coup d’état that seems to be under way in Nouakchott? Have measures been taken to ensure the safety of French and other foreign nationals?

We are in contact with our embassy in Nouakchott and are following the situation very closely in conjunction with all of our partners. Measures have been taken locally to ensure the safety of French nationals. Security recommendations will be issued based on how the situation evolves.

Q. - Was a military coup predictable in Mauritania? How do you explain the situation?

You know how attached we are to Mauritania’s stability. It is too soon to describe the situation. Let me remind you nevertheless of France’s attachment to preserving the rule of law in all circumstances and her hostility to the seizure of power by force.

IRAN/NUCLEAR

Q. - What are your comments on the letter from Tehran asking for “mutual clarification” of the proposals of Iran and the Six partners on the nuclear issue?

This purely procedural document […] does not provide the response we have been waiting for since the meeting of 19 July in Geneva. The two-week deadline passed four days ago and we regret that neither the conversation between Mr Jalili and Mr Solana nor this document have provided that response.

The question, however, is clear and calls for a simple answer: does Iran accept the offer of a “freeze-for-freeze” to engage in negotiations? It requires no additional clarification.

We regret that Iran has once again chosen not to respond clearly despite all the efforts that the Six have made in recent weeks to offer a framework for negotiations.

RWANDA

Q. – What is your reaction to the Rwandan Justice Ministry’s accusations made public yesterday? Do these call into question the political will for a rapprochement with Kigali which France has been expressing for a year now?

We have read the report published on 5 August and made public in Kigali at a press conference held by the Rwandan Justice Minister. The report has not officially been communicated to us.

We can speculate about the objectivity of the mandate entrusted to this "independent commission tasked by the Rwandan authorities to gather evidence showing the involvement of the French State in the genocide perpetrated in Rwanda in 1994". We can’t of course be surprised at the commission’s conclusions, given its title.

In the report unacceptable accusations are levelled against French political and military leaders.

We draw your attention to the fact that a very substantial investigation of France’s role in Rwanda during those years was carried out in 1998 in the framework of a parliamentary mission of enquiry chaired by M. Paul Quilès. We stick with this commission’s analysis and its conclusions.

Also, ever since it was set up, we have cooperated closely with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR). It’s important to remember that as soon as the ICTR was set up, France immediately adapted her legislation to recognize the full jurisdiction of this tribunal and its primacy.

We are still as determined as ever to build a new relationship with Rwanda, transcending this difficult past:

 President Sarkozy had a meeting with the Rwandan President Kagame in Lisbon on 8 December last year. He forcefully expressed our strong desire for reconciliation and also our concern to face up to the weaknesses and errors of the international community, including France, in the face of the Rwandan genocide.

 The Minister of Foreign and European affairs, Bernard Kouchner, went to Kigali in January this year to take a concrete step towards Franco-Rwandan reconciliation. A Franco-Rwandan working group has met three times in the past year to lay the foundations for a new relationship between Kigali and Paris.

 At the judicial level, since June 2007, France has arrested on her territory, at the request of Rwanda and the ICTR, six Rwandan nationals sought for participation in the genocide.

We continue to view our relationship with Rwanda in this forward-looking way./.