Daily press briefing by Ministry Deputy Spokesperson
Statements made by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Deputy Spokesperson (excerpts)
(Paris, 12 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 )]
GEORGIA/HUMANITARIAN AID
The Airbus A-340 dispatched by France on 11 August and transporting humanitarian aid [to Georgia] arrived in Tbilisi during the night. The shipment was immediately turned over to the French NGO "Première Urgence", which is responsible for distributing the aid to those affected by the crisis.
The aircraft returned from Tbilisi at 8.30 this morning with 261 people who had been stranded in Tbilissi because of the interruption of commercial flights. On board were about 170 French nationals as well as citizens of Algeria, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Spain, Georgia and Norway.
The A-340 is scheduled to take off again this afternoon with a new shipment of French humanitarian aid, including supplies - and notably medications - aimed at helping the victims of the crisis. The aircraft will depart from Roissy around 1 p.m.
As before, the return flight will carry French and European citizens stranded in Tbilisi.
We will continue our humanitarian aid effort in the coming days, in conjunction with our EU partners.
EU/GEORGIA
Tomorrow, starting at 10 a.m., Foreign and European Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner will chair a special Council for General Affairs and External Relations devoted to the situation in Georgia.
The Minister will brief his European counterparts on his visits to Tbilisi and Moscow with Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE, and on President Sarkozy’s conversations with his Russian and Georgian counterparts.
The EU ministers will analyse the situation, including from the humanitarian perspective, and will examine the actions to take in order to promote a swift resolution to the conflict.
GEORGIA
Q. - Is France prepared to provide observers or troops for an interposition force in South Ossetia?
We would obviously be prepared to favorably examine with our EU, OSCE and UN partners any measure that might facilitate the resolution of this conflict and rebuild trust.
(…)
Q. - Do you have any reaction to the remarks by Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, who expressed doubts about the effectiveness of EU mediation and said the OSCE should be the “primary interlocutor”?
Any efforts leading to a lasting resolution of this conflict are welcome.
Let me remind you that the Foreign Minister travelled to Georgia and Russia with the Finnish Foreign Minister, who is the Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE.
VISIT BY THE DALAI LAMA
Q. - What is the status of the Dalai Lama with respect to the French authorities? Does he need a visa or any other document to enter the country? Is a meeting scheduled with a diplomat from the Quai d’Orsay?
The Dalai Lama is currently in France on a pastoral visit. He has an Indian identity certificate, a document that the Indian authorities issue to Tibetan refugees living on their soil. This document already bore a Schengen visa. The Foreign and European Ministry’s religious affairs advisor and a high official from the Interior Ministry responsible for relations with religious groups met the Dalai Lama upon his arrival in France, as they do for religious leaders who arrive on our soil for pastoral visits. Otherwise, the schedule of meetings has not yet been finalized.
MIDDLE EAST
(…)
Q. - Do you think a peace agreement is possible before the end of the year?
In accordance with the commitments made in Annapolis nine months ago, the goal remains the establishment of a viable, independent, democratic and fully sovereign Palestinian State, living in peace and security alongside Israel, by the end of the year.
We encourage the Israeli and Palestinian authorities, despite the inevitable difficulties, to resolutely continue negotiating and moving forward with a view to a final settlement. We reaffirm our confidence in the process under way and in the people leading it./.