AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL MEETING WITH INTERIOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 002414

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2014
TAGS: PREL FR PGOV PTER
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S FAREWELL MEETING WITH INTERIOR
MINISTER VILLEPIN

Classified By: AMB. HOWARD LEACH, FOR REASONS 1.4 B/D


1. (C) Summary: In a 30-minute farewell call April 8 with
Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin, the Ambassador
complimented the excellent level of U.S.-French
counter-terrorism cooperation, emphasized the need for
progress on biometric passports as soon as possible,
encouraged Villepin to visit his counterparts in Washington
soon, and discussed the twin challenges of security and
democracy in Africa and the Middle East. Villepin said he
would make a point of visiting Washington "as soon as
possible," and added that France was pushing fast to complete
biometric standards for passports and identity cards. End
summary.

COUNTER-TERRORISM COOPERATION


2. (C) The Ambassador congratulated Villepin on the recent
news that four additional terrorism investigating judges
would be hired to reinforce that section's capabilities.
Villepin said this decision was important given France's
commitment to fighting terrorism. The Interior Minister said
he was pleased with the quality of cooperation on terrorism
between the U.S. and France, and that this type of
information-sharing should continue. He reviewed a number of
recent GOF counter-terrorist actions, including the
dismantling of a "French jihadists to Iraq" network based in
the 19th arrondisement of Paris. France was worried, said
Villepin, that these types of jihadists might return to
France with new capabilities and expertise for conducting
terrorist operations.


3. (C) Villepin said he had tasked Renseignements Generaux
and the DST (the two intelligence agencies under the
jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior) to investigate
further the crime and money laundering networks that nourish
the development of terrorist networks. He said the agencies
had conducted investigations into the low-level commerce of
phone and other types of retail shops in "highly delicate"
suburbs, and as a result, the Interior Ministry had expanded
its knowledge of these financial arrangements. When asked by
the Ambassador whether enough was being done to freeze
terrorist assets, Villepin replied "we could do much more."
The GOF, said Villepin, was building a new platform of
capabilities to fight the financing of terrorism, to include
the enlargement of asset freezing authority to those involved
in organized crime and other types of criminality. Villepin
cited the establishment of a GOF-sponsored "Foundation for
French Islam" as another tool to crack down on the financing
of terrorism. Through this Foundation, said Villepin, the
GOF would ensure that monies from the Gulf and other regions
coming to France would only assist legal organizations.
Still, said Villepin, domestic actions were not sufficient;
the nature of terrorist financing meant that international
cooperation was essential. The Ambassador concurred, and
assured Villepin of the USG's commitment to work with France
on this issue. Villepin added that, as much as he had
disagreed with the USG approach on Iraq, he was just as
committed to working with the U.S. to fight terrorism.

BILATERAL RELATIONS AND BIOMETRIC PASSPORTS


4. (C) Villepin raised the issue of biometric standards for
passports with the Ambassador, saying that France was working
as fast as it could to implement these standards, but that it
was concerned that this could become a problem. The
Ambassador replied that the U.S. intended to be reasonable;
however, Congressional-approved delays in implementation
should not be considered automatic. It is important for
these standards to be met as soon as possible. Villepin
agreed, and said that biometric passports would be the
subject of a meeting early next week with Prime Minister
Raffarin. At the conclusion of that meeting, said Villepin,
France would have more specific information regarding its
timeline and process to implement agreed-upon standards for
biometric passports. The Ambassador said the Embassy would
be happy to convey this information when it was ready --
including to Congressman Sensenbrenner, who had recently
visited France regarding the issue.


5. (C) The Ambassador encouraged Villepin to consider a visit
to Washington to meet with his counterparts. Villepin agreed
and said he hoped to visit Washington as soon as possible.
He had not done so as of yet in order to give those just
coming into their positions some time. The Ambassador noted
that he would be meeting with Ambassador Negroponte in the
coming weeks, and would be happy to pass on a recommendation
for a meeting with Villepin. He also praised recent
negotiations in the UN, where French and U.S. objections were
discussed and resolved in private, not in public.

THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA


6. (C) Turning to the Middle East, Villepin said it was
important for countries like France and the U.S. to engage
Middle Eastern countries with strong intelligence
capabilities, like Syria and Iran, given their resources and
understanding of the region. It was necessary, said
Villepin, to clarify their attitudes towards terrorism and
joining the community of democracies. These countries must
get the same message from us, said Villepin, and they must
not be allowed to play one country off the other. France and
the U.S. had common interests in getting countries in the
Middle East interested in "new perspectives." Countries like
Syria have a choice, said Villepin: they can choose the path
of retreating into the past or modernization. In short, they
are at a crossroads and they must receive the same message
from Europe and the U.S.; namely, that our one great concern
is security and our one great objective is democracy.

7. (C) In closing, the Ambassador said he was a great
believer in the idea that when the U.S. and France work
together, much can be accomplished. Villepin agreed, and
cited examples of cooperation in the Caribbean and Africa.
Reaction to the tsunami over Christmas was a demonstration of
how important it was for the U.S. and Europe to address the
poverty, health and development lag of many countries,
especially those in Africa. Working together, said Villepin,
"we can really change the situation of the African
continent." The Ambassador agreed, and assured Villepin of
the USG's commitment in the region.
LEACH