Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05PARIS2110
2005-03-30 14:25:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:  

FRENCH RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON OSLO DONORS'

Tags:  PREL EAID ECON KJUS KAWC SU FR 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 002110 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2015
TAGS: PREL EAID ECON KJUS KAWC SU FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON OSLO DONORS'
CONFERENCE

REF: STATE 57624

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt
for reasons 1.4 (b and d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 002110

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2015
TAGS: PREL EAID ECON KJUS KAWC SU FR
SUBJECT: FRENCH RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE ON OSLO DONORS'
CONFERENCE

REF: STATE 57624

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt
for reasons 1.4 (b and d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: MFA AF Assistant Secretary Joubert on
March 29 said that Xavier Darcos (Minister-Delegate for
Cooperation, Development, and Francophonie) would likely
lead the GOF delegation to the April 11-12 Oslo Donors'
Conference on Sudan (reftel),although no final decision
had been made. Joubert said that the EU would pledge about
400 million Euros, of which France would contribute about
25 percent. He said that France would also make a smaller
bilateral contribution. On ICC/Darfur issues, Joubert said
that his office was working to avoid a France-U.S.
confrontation this week at the UN but he said that the
issue involved high theology on both sides and, while he
saw some room for maneuver, he could not predict that the
issue would be resolved to the satisfaction of all
interested parties. END SUMMARY.

OSLO
--------------

2. (C) Africa watcher met with MFA AF Assistant Secretary
Bruno Joubert and DAS-equivalent Jean-Christophe Belliard
on March 29 to carry out reftel demarche. Joubert
indicated that France was supportive of the conference. He
said that Xavier Darcos (Minister-Delegate for Cooperation,
Development, and Francophonie) would likely lead the French
delegation. Joubert noted that he would not attend the
conference, as he planned to be in the United States at the
time, with meetings already arranged at the UN (e.g., at
DPKO) and, he hoped, in Washington as well. He noted that
FM Barnier's Africa advisor, Nathalie Delapalme, would
attend the Oslo conference. Joubert said that France was
well aware of high-level interest in the conference, noting
that the Norwegians had informed him that UN
Secretary-General Annan would attend.

SIPDIS


3. (C) On funding for Sudan, Joubert said the EU would
pledge 400 million Euros, of which France would contribute
about a quarter. He said that the GOF had searched
carefully for additional funds and would make a bilateral
pledge that he said might seem "modest" to others but that,
when taken with the 100 million Euros France would
contribute through the EU, constituted a significant sum.

ICC/DARFUR
--------------

4. (C) Joubert said that the MFA's AF bureau and he
personally were quite aware of the problems posed by the
ICC/Darfur issue at the UN, where a resolution might be
voted later this week. He said that he remained hopeful
that a bridging of U.S. and French differences could be
accomplished. He noted recent phone conversations between
Secretary Rice and FM Barnier and the UK's desire to see

SIPDIS
this matter resolved. He commented also on the need to
convince the U.S. Department of Defense. Joubert also
referred to Sudanese criticism of the process, and noted
that the French military had its own concerns about French
soldiers and the ICC. Joubert said that the recent
Sudanese decision to arrest 15 Sudanese military showed
that the fear of international prosecution was real and
that the threat of referral to the ICC was serving a useful
function in that sense.


5. (C) Nonetheless, Joubert acknowledged that U.S. and
French "theological" differences over the ICC remained very
strong and that the ICC remained a matter of high principle
to France. Although he thought that both sides had some
room to maneuver and should seek ways to overcome their
differences, he refrained from expressing optimism that
that would happen within the next few days. He confided
that the views of his bureau suggesting that a
confrontation between the U.S. and France be avoided were
among
many views senior GOF leaders were hearing, and he
could not say that his bureau's views on the matter were
acc