STATUS OF FORCES AGREEMENT WITH FRANCE: FORMAL

UNCLAS PARIS 000713 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MARR MCAP MOPS PAC PREL FR SUBJECT: STATUS OF FORCES AGREEMENT WITH FRANCE: FORMAL RESPONSE RECEIVED REF: A. 07 STATE 181912 ¶B. 07 PARIS 3630 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but Unclassified - not for internet distribution. ¶2. (SBU) On April 7, the diplomatic advisor to Defense Minister Morin, Frederic Mondoloni, sent a letter to the Political Minister-Counselor to respond formally to the November 2006 USG request for a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) to cover U.S. forces engaged in exercises or training in France's overseas departments in the Americas. A rough translation of the letter follows; the original will be pouched to the Department. ¶3. (SBU) Translation of the letter - Begin text (Date) April 7, 2008 From the Minister's Cabinet Dear Sir: At the end of 2006, your Embassy expressed the desire to negotiate an agreement to cover the status of armed American forces sent to France's overseas departments and communities for the purpose of exercises or training. The contents of this request, that I have reproduced in an annex, were the subject of a profound analysis by our legal services. It appeared that some of the privileges and exemptions that you are requesting depart significantly from normal practices usually included in this type of agreement. It therefore appears to us to be important, before engaging in a long and complex negociating process due to the great variety of questions to be treated, to define more clearly your operational objectives. This would allow us to achieve, in the shortest time possible, an effective mechanism adapted to your needs. Therefore, I propose that your experts make contact with Mr. Fabrice Leggeri, sous-director (DAS-equivalent) in international and european law, in our legal affairs section, to set up a meeting. He can be reached at telephone: 01-42-19-40-69. I offer you the assurance of my distinguished consideration. Sincerely Frederic Mondoloni Diplomatic Advisor to the Minister End text. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: This response conforms to what we were told informally (ref b) last year; namely, that the GOF legal experts believe that the scope of exceptions and privileges contained in the standard SOFA that we provided in our initial demarche go beyond those accorded by France to other nations. However, the offer to have our legal experts confer on a compromise agreement is new and the Embassy will be happy to support a meeting with the MOD legal expert named in the letter, should a legal team from the U.S. decide to travel to Paris to pursue this in the future. End comment. Please visit Paris' Classified Website at: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm STAPLETON