FRENCH WELCOME SIX-PARTY TALKS AGREEMENT AS

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 000599 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EUR/WE, ISN, VCI, AND T E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2017 TAGS: PREL PARM KNNP KN IR FR SUBJECT: FRENCH WELCOME SIX-PARTY TALKS AGREEMENT AS IMPORTANT FIRST STEP REF: A) STATE 18387 B) 02/14/2007 EMBASSY PARIS MEDIA REPORT E-MAIL (NOTAL) Classified By: POLITICAL Minister-Counselor Josiah Rosenblatt, Reason 1. 4 B/D ¶1. (C) On February 14, we shared ref A text of agreement and nonpaper with key MFA offices, including the Asia Directorate, the Nonproliferation and Disarmament Directorate, the POLITICAL Director's office, and the Minister's Cabinet advisor for Strategic Affairs. ¶2. (C) Arnaud Mentre, nonproliferation desk officer following the North Korea question, said France viewed the agreement as a breakthrough and an important first step toward the implementation of the 2005 Joint Statement. Further, he noted that the MFA had obtained a copy of the text of the Initial Actions for the Implementation of the Joint Statement via the French embassy in Beijing. The MFA is studying the agreement closely and will share its observations with the Embassy and with ISN offices in Washington. ¶3. (U) In terms of an initial official reaction, Mentre pointed to the spokesperson's Feb 14 response to a question on the agreement. Begin text (informal translation) France is pleased that the negotiators were able to succeed in obtaining an agreement in the context of the Six. It is an important first step in the negotiation process on the North Korean nuclear question, which France fully supports. France hopes that this negotiation process will lead to concrete results, especially for the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea, as well as for the implementation of the Joint Statement of September 19, 2005. France calls again on North Korea to abide by UNSC 1718. End text ¶4. (U) Meanwhile, press reactions (ref b) have been favorable, although cautious. Major French daily, Le Monde, contrasted the successful outcome of negotiations on North Korea with the more "belligerent" stance taken by the USG towards Iran, highlighting the advantages of diplomacy. The daily, Le Figaro, praised the United States for this diplomatic breakthrough, which it attributed to the Administration's more "pragmatic approach," in the wake of the 2006 Congressional elections. Nonetheless, it termed the agreement as "fragile." Le Figaro also noted the contributions made by Beijing to the negotiation process, and cautioned that, given past North Korea behavior, this agreement may not be "a done deal." An editorial by Jean-Christophe Ploquin in the daily, La Croix, observed that the Bush Administration demonstrated it could take the successful lead in negotiations and wondered whether a similar approach might work with Iran. "As long as the international community stays united," the editorial notes, "the Iranian regime will have to chose between pursuing its nuclear program, leading to further isolation and the risk of air strikes, and renouncing its nuclear program and establishing a privileged relationship with the United States." Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm STAPLETON