FM DOUSTE-BLAZY'S SPEECH TO FRENCH AMBASSADORS

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SUBJECT: FM DOUSTE-BLAZY'S SPEECH TO FRENCH AMBASSADORS

REF: PARIS 5811

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1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy addressed
the annual conference of French ambassadors on August 29,
echoing many of the same themes outlined by President Chirac
in his address to the ambassadors the day before (reftel).
Douste-Blazy stressed the exceptional role France still plays
in international affairs during a crucial time. Like Chirac,
Douste-Blazy warned of "conflicts of civilizations" and
stressed the importance of political processes and
multilateral diplomacy over unilateral military action. The
lesson to be gleaned from recent crises in the Middle East is
that force alone has its limits (the US in Iraq and Israel in
the Palestinian territories and Lebanon were cited),and he
encouraged collective action by the international community
to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the region's
other pressing problems. He termed Iran's latest response to
the international community on its nuclear program as
"ambiguous," as it left aside the essential question of
enrichment. However, he noted Iran's openness to dialogue
and discussion.


2. (SBU) Douste-Blazy told the ambassadors that European
Union (EU) enlargement should be tied to its capacity to
absorb new members, and that institutional reforms should
occur within the framework of existing treaties. He stressed
the importance of "solidarity" as a guiding principle of
French foreign policy, pointing to UNITAID (French initiative
to use a tax on airline tickets to finance health and related
assistance efforts in the developing world) as evidence of
France's commitment to addressing the barriers between "North
and South." Douste-Blazy supported cultural diversity and
democracy, while noting that the West cannot impose democracy
on others. Finally, he called for a more operational French
diplomacy and repositioning to take account of new global
demographics. END SUMMARY.

FRANCE'S EXCEPTIONAL ROLE IN GLOBAL POLITICS


3. (SBU) In his August 29 address to the annual Ambassadors'
Conference in Paris, characterized as his "personal
reflections," Foreign Minister Douste-Blazy stressed the
important role France continues to play on the global stage,
saying France's point of view is "solicited, waited for, and
observed," and that among France's partners, France's
positions "often generate admiration, sometimes irritation,
but rarely indifference." Citing France's permanent seat on
the UN Security Council, its participation in the G-8, its
role in the EU and NATO, its nuclear capacity, and France's
cultural and technological assets, Douste-Blazy asserted that
France would remain a major global actor. He cited as
accomplishments France's "showing the way in the Middle
East," UNITAID, the ongoing debate over EU enlargement, and
UNESCO's adoption of the convention on cultural diversity in
the face of U.S. opposition.

MIDDLE EAST CRISES OFFER LESSONS


4. (SBU) Douste-Blazy pointed to the current crises in the
Middle East as providing a prominent illustration of the
importance of French action over the past year. Stating that
the Middle East crises provide critical lessons to the world
community, he said the "first lesson" is that military force
alone has its limits. He cited "American intervention" in
Iraq, the situation in the Palestinian territories, and the
recent crisis in Lebanon as examples of the limitations of
military operations as the sole answer to the problems of the
region.


5. (SBU) Moreover, the Foreign Minister stressed the
importance of "collective action and the cohesion of the
international community" in addressing the problems of the
Middle East, stating that no one state can act alone to
provide international security. Pointing to the importance
of the UN Security Council in addressing these crises (and
stating that "the UN is us"),Douste-Blazy explained that
France waited to clarify rules of engagement and the chain of
command for the UNIFIL force in Lebanon to implement Security
Council Resolution 1701 in order to improve the effectiveness
of the peacekeeping operations in Lebanon. Without referring
specifically to enlargement of the UN Security Council or
using Chirac's phrases of "multipolarity" and "grand poles,"
Douste-Blazy added that France emphasized the importance of
working closely with the U.S., Russia, China, and "new
regional powers like South Africa, Brazil, and India."

ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT CAUSES FOREIGN MINISTER CONCERN


6. (SBU) Douste-Blazy declared his "profound concern" over

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the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Foreign Minister
opined that the "positive dynamic" created in Israel during
the recent elections is now in question, and that on the
Palestinian side Hamas has not accepted European conditions
for dialogue (i.e., recognition of Israel, renunciation of
violence, and acceptance of past agreements such as Oslo).
Stressing France's support for Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas and the need for multilateral action,
Douste-Blazy called for a return to the Quartet to find a way
forward in the conflict. He also pointed to the "document of
national entente" signed by the various parties in the
Palestinian Legislature on June 27 as a positive step in the
development of responsible Palestinian governance.

IRANIAN RESPONSE AMBIGUOUS


7. (SBU) Addressing international concerns over Iran's
nuclear energy program, Douste-Blazy characterized the latest
Iranian response to the international community as
"ambiguous," stating that it leaves aside the essential
question of whether Iran is pursuing the enrichment of
uranium. An Iranian gesture here was essential for
reestablishing confidence among the negotiating parties.
However, Douste-Blazy noted the openness of the Iranian
regime to dialogue and discussion. "Without renouncing our
demands about suspension, France is also ready to renew the
dialogue. But it must be one that is lucid, concrete, and
responsible," he declared. "We want this dialogue rapidly,
with the aim of seriously discussing and finding solutions to
the nuclear problem."

DON'T NEGLECT CRISES IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD


8. (SBU) The Foreign Minister urged the ambassadors not to
forget crises in other parts of the world despite the
attention required to address issues in the Middle East, and
named crises in Darfur, Somalia, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, South
Asia, the Korean Peninsula, and Haiti as examples. He
declared that "solidarity" is among the principles guiding
French action in the world, and noted the importance of
French financing and development programs like UNITAID, a
French-initiated effort to finance health and related
assistance efforts in the developing world through a tax on
airline tickets. He stated that France's development
programs are meant to address "the gap between North and
South in matters of health, education, and quality of life."


EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: LINK ENLARGEMENT TO ABSORPTION CAPACITY


9. (SBU) Noting France's goals for European integration,
Douste-Blazy echoed President Chirac's call to ensure that EU
enlargement is linked to its capacity to absorb new members.
Institutionally, he encouraged EU member states to work for
now within the framework of existing treaties. Noting the
importance of Franco-German relations, the Foreign Minister
stated that he expects the Germans to begin important
initiatives in this regard during the period of the German
presidency in 2007, and that they could reach fruition during
the French presidency in 2008. He also stressed the need for
a Europe of concrete projects, such as creating a truly
European energy policy, in order to ensure that the EU can
live up to its responsibilities at home and abroad.

PROMOTE CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND DEMOCRACY, BUT RESPECT
SOVEREIGNTY


10. (SBU) Douste-Blazy spoke to the need to promote cultural
diversity and respect in an era of globalization. Addressing
the promotion of democracy around the world, he opined that
this is a difficult subject full of contradictions. The West
should not impose democracy on states, and should respect
sovereignty while avoiding interference in internal affairs.
He added that countries need time to develop the necessary
foundations for democratic governance, including the rule of
law, a free press, and an independent judiciary.

GLOBAL REPOSITIONING IN THE CARDS FOR FRENCH DIPLOMATS


11. (SBU) Noting that French diplomacy needs to become more
"operational" in the face of changing global demographics,
Douste-Blazy also addressed the need for global repositioning
of French diplomats. To that end, the Foreign Minister
announced that 1,500 Ministry of Foreign Affairs employees
would be repositioned to emerging countries, in particular
China and India, between 2006 and 2008.




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