Julian Assange

sábado, 4 de dezembro de 2010


Viewing cable 05PARIS1306, SARKOZY WATCH: FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER DE CHARETTE

Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
05PARIS1306 2005-03-01 17:05 2010-11-30 21:09 CONFIDENTIAL Embassy Paris

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text
of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L PARIS 001306 

SIPDIS 

EO 12958 DECL: 02/28/2015 
TAGS PREL, FR, PINT 
SUBJECT: SARKOZY WATCH: FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER DE CHARETTE 
EXTENDS UMP HAND OF FRIENDSHIP AND COOPERATION TO U.S.

Classified By: Ambassador Howard Leach, for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d)

1. (C) Summary: In a remarkable initiative, the new head of international
relations of the governing UMP party, former Foreign Minister Herve de
Charette called on Ambassador Leach March 1 offering a hand of friendship
and cooperation. Charette applauded the positive results of U.S. policies
across the Middle East -- on Israel/Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon -- 
and even assigned blame for the “embarrassing” downturn in relations over
Iraq to President Chirac. Charette said the UMP would like to establish
links with both major U.S. political parties, and connect with official 
U.S. visitors to Paris, as appropriate. Charette’s gesture, unprecedented 
in our memory, reportedly came at the behest of UMP President Sarkozy.
The views he expressed are, just as clearly, those of the politician 
currently best placed to end Chirac’s tenure as President. End Summary

2. (C) Former Foreign Minister Herve de Charette called on Ambassador
Leach March 1 in his capacity as head of international relations of the
governing UMP party. (Note: UMP President Nicolas Sarkozy recently named
Charette to this position. De Charette is also vice-president of the
Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly. He served as Foreign
Minister from 1995 to 1997 under Prime Minister Alain Juppe.) Charette,
referring to recent events in the Middle East -- Iraq, Israel/Palestine,
Lebanon, Egypt -- observed that U.S. policies have prospered. The UMP 
applauds these positive results. He and the UMP also agree with the USG 
thesis that “the Middle East is immobile politically because it is immobile
economically.” He cited Secretary Rice’s view -- which he shares -- that
it is necessary to work with the world as it is, but we need not accept 
that it must remain as it is. (This is a view, he added, that comes more
naturally to a great power; smaller countries generally must accept the
hand they have been dealt.) Charette said that this commonality of views
had led the UMP to the conclusion that it should “organize a useful 
relationship with the U.S.” Charette spoke specifically of reaching out
to U.S. political parties -- to its natural partner the Republican Party,
but also to the Democrats. In addition to contacts with parties, the UMP
would be interested in meeting official visitors to Paris, as deemed 
appropriate by the Ambassador.

3. (C) Commenting further on the current scene, Charette posited that
“the relationship with the U.S. is the basis of French foreign relations.
” The last two or three years have been “embarrassing.” Charette pointed 
the finger of blame in one direction: “The President of the Republic went
down a route that didn’t make things any easier.” (Note: In February 2003,
Charette was one of only a handful of French parliamentarians to warn
against a French veto of a new UNSC resolution.) The UMP welcomes the
positive turn of recent weeks, said Charette. He put particular stress
on recent progress on Palestinian-Israeli relations, returning several
times to a refrain, commonly heard here, that this is the key issue for
European-U.S. relations. France, he said, needs to adjust its approach
so that it does not always “fall on the same (i.e. Palestinian) side of
the road.” The U.S., which tends to fall on the other side, has been 
right to reproach the Palestinians for never being able to control their
terrorist movements. The second intifada was disastrous -- for the 
Palestinians, for the peace camp in Israel, and because it encouraged the
establishment of more settlements. The new Palestinian leadership will 
not be able to escape the need to settle matters with the terrorists. The
Israelis, for their part, cannot hope to keep 250,000 of their own in the
Palestinian territories. The situation is extremely complex, said Charette,
requiring all the energy of the U.S. and Europe. He said he remains 
extremely anxious about the situation, and skeptical. It is not at all
clear that the conditions for peace are at hand -- bearing in mind the
downward spiral that occurred after promising beginnings in the 1990s.

4. (C) Ambassador Leach took the opportunity to ask Charette his views
regarding Turkey and the EU, given his chairmanship of the Franco-Turkish
Friendship Group in the National Assembly. Charette said that the French 
people have a “deep and strong conviction against Turkish entry. It is a 
feeling that will not disappear over time.” (Note: This view, in contrast
to that of President Chirac, reflects the opposition of UMP President 
Sarkozy and the majority of the UMP membership.)
Leach

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