Middle East visit of French Foreign Minister Kouchner – Statement during joint briefing with PA President Abbas – French Foreign Ministry press release/Non-UN document

Visit to the Middle East

Statements made by M. Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, in his joint press briefing with M. Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President, following their meeting in Muqata'a

Ramallah, September 10, 2007

I thank the President for listening to us and providing us with some clarifications on the conversations he has had today.

We have come as friends of the Palestinian people and the Israeli people.

In this dual capacity, we were happy to learn of the positive progress of the preparation of the conference to be held, seemingly in the United States, in November.

France is ready to participate actively in it and make proposals.

France is also ready – as you have just heard the Palestinian President say – to help, as she has in the past, in everything to do with the peace process and the situation of the Palestinian population. We have done so and we'll do so again. We'll discuss this again tomorrow with the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mr Salam Fayyad. We aren't forgetting the people of Gaza who are suffering.

Politically, we are at the disposal of the two parties – of the two parties at least, since there will be other participants in the international conference.

In Israel tomorrow we'll be expressing the same friendship to our Israeli friends./.

Embassy of France in the United States – September 13, 2007