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Statements made by the Ministry of Foreign and European Spokesperson


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Paris - Franco-German Summit on August 16/ Statement issued by Alain Juppé, Ministre d’Etat, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs

The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs welcomes the major proposals presented yesterday by President Sarkozy and the German Chancellor during their meeting in Paris.

These proposals aim to strengthen coordination in the Euro Area, through institutional (economic governance), budgetary (adoption by the Euro Area countries of the “golden rule” by summer 2012), and financial (tax on financial transactions) measures.

Building on the efforts that France and Germany have been undertaking for several months now, these proposals therefore constitute a further step towards strengthening the economic governance of the Euro Area and reinforcing the convergence of the economic and financial policies of its member States.

In the same spirit, our two countries want to move forward together towards harmonizing their corporate tax base and rates.

Through all of these proposals, France and German again confirm their strong convergence of views, their particular responsibilities, and their joint determination to strengthen the reliability and robustness of the economic and monetary union in order to boost competitiveness and growth in Europe.



Israel/ Construction of 277 new homes in Ariel

France is concerned by the Israeli defense minister’s decision to approve the construction of 277 new homes in Ariel. This decision is in addition to those taken over the last few weeks in East Jerusalem.

France’s position is well known.

Settlement activity is illegal and constitutes an obstacle to peace. We condemn it.

I want to remind you that France and its European partners voted in favor of a draft UN Security Council resolution along these lines on February 18.



Libya

Are you afraid that a power vacuum may develop after the fall of Qaddafi? Western diplomatic sources quoted in the English-language press mention a potential “catastrophic success” if Qaddafi is overthrown, a risk of chaos, since Westerners have minimized the influence of the tribes and Islamists in the conflict – and even in the settling of scores.

The chaos in Libya today is the work of Qaddafi.

With a view towards alleviating this chaos, France has supported the National Transitional Council since its creation and recognized it, along with all the members of the Contact Group, as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people, capable of planning for the transition phase that will follow the fall of Qaddafi’s regime.

In this context, the NTC issued a “Constitutional Declaration” on August 10, completing and specifying the road map of March 29 which sets out the terms and schedule of the transition process.

This is a milestone in the post-Qaddafi political organization process.

This declaration notably sets out plans to swiftly organize the election of a national assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution.

Our position is clear: Qaddafi must relinquish all power. As for the rest, it’s up to the Libyans to determine their future. Nonetheless, the Contact Group has been mobilized since the beginning of the crisis to find a political solution in cooperation with the NTC.

We must continue to protect the Libyan people against Qaddafi’s violence.



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