Elysée Top Press Counsellor to EuroFora on Hollande-Merkel-Schulz Summit on EU-Greek+Ukraine urgency

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- A "Warm" Diner, but also on "Hot" issues, at a Rainy Night, going from Franco-German couple's role in EU/€uroArea Integration, added to the latest developments in Greece, and the particularly Worrying, Tragic Events in Ukraine, for which currently exists a "Great Concern" expressed also by "continuous" "Joint Demarches" of French President Hollande and German Chancellor Merkel, "in Various Formats", in order to "prevent a Deterioration" of the situatiion, but all that exceptionaly covered by an unusual degree of Secrecy this time : That's at least part of what Today's exceptional Franco-German Summit, for the 1st Time invited by EU Parliament's President Schulz in Strasbourg, looked like, as it results from what the experienced Elysée Palace's Top Counsellor for Press Strategy and International communication, Claudine Ripert-Landler told "EuroFora", as well as from other relevant Facts observed on the spot in/from Strasbourg's viewpoint :

    Initialy scheduled for January 11, and reportedly due to focus mainly on Europe's Future, ahead of 4 Reports by Heads of relevant  European bodies on how to strengthen and develop €uroArea, before the June 2015 EU Brussels' Summit, as decided by the latest, December 2014 EU Summit, (Comp. "EuroFora"s NewsReports from and on the most recent Brussels' Summit), but disrupted by the Paris' Massacre of critical Journalists and other Civilians by Extremist Islamic Terrorists, the 1st Franco-German Summit ever organised at the invitation of EU Parliament's President, was, meanwhile, cought up by other "Hot" European Events, and particularly the reprisal of Deadly Clashes in Eastern Ukraine, added to the Change of Government in Greece after last Sunday's Elections, which has a great interest for EU's Financial policies.

    Moreover, the exceptional Strasbourg event occured at the Same Day with many other  parallel Political Contacts exceptionaly intensified on the most Topical issues of the latest developments on Ukraine Conflict and this Week's Greek Elections' impact on €uroArea's policies : F.ex., in addition to the above-mentioned session of the Russian Security Council with President Putin at Moscow, the Minsk's Group of Contact with representatives of Kiev and Autonomist DonetskLuhansk Regions as well as Russia under OSCE auspices was meeting anew there, while EU's Foreign Ministers in Brussels were deciding on Sanctions vis a vis Russia, almost at the same moment that, in Athens, €uroGroup's Chair, Dutch Socialist Minister Dijsselbloem was concluding his 1st meeting with New Finance Minister for Greece, Varoufakis, who is reportedly ready to tour France, London and maybe Berlin starting from this Week-End, ahead of new Prime Minister Tsipras' Cyprus - Italy - France - EU Commission visits from Monday, (etc), in view of Time pressure for an imminent attempt to broker a New Deal around nasty Debt, Anti-Corruption and Growth issues.

    In Tragic developments inside Ukraine, Earlier Today, almost 40 Civilian People were among those Killed during intensified Clashes between Kiev's Military and Autonomist Regions of Donetsk/Lugansk's Guards, including at the Shelling of a TrolleyBus-Stop, a ChildCare Facility, a Cultural Centre distributing Humanitarian Aid to Families in need, etc, while bombardements, even of Civilian Homes, were reportedly still continuing overNight, with several Districts left without Gas at Donetsk, and Tens of Thousands of Homes without Electricity for 24 Hours and more at Luhansk after Heavy Shelling , while Repairs were Risky and postponed until a Cease-fire, (i.e. a "Worsening situation in the South-East of Ukraine", which made President Putin discuss it "in Depth" within Russia's Security Council earlier Today).

   Placed in such a "Hot" Context, Strasbourg's exceptional Trilateral informal Summit was symbolicaly hosted at a reknown but small, Family-run quality Restaurant, precautiously named ..."at the Iron Hat" ("Zuem YseHoet") in the local Alsacian dialect...

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 - "The Diner took place in very Warm (atmosphere)" inside the "Zuem YseHuet" Strasbourg Restaurant, told "EuroFora" from the outset, French President Hollande's Press Spokeswoman, just after its conclusion.

- But, Exceptionaly, all Political Leaders' "Counselors were at another (adjacent)  room", "so that I can't give you particular details" on the specific contents this time, "even if I was there", she pointed out.

 - Because "it was a Diner with Intimacy between the 3 Leaders, in a special Room, with their Translators, but without any Counsellors, so that they could Speek Freely" between them, "without any Witness".

- "The (main) Subject of this (Top) Meeting wasn't (last Sunday's Electoral Change in) Greece, but the ways to further Strengthen and Deepen the Franco-German relationship, by certain Initiatives", Claudine Ripert-Landler stressed.

- On €uroZone plans, scheduled for before June 2015, "I don't have concrete elements to give you on that, just the overall Tonality", she modestly and soberly acknowledged.

- "This Diner was about a Free Exchange of Ideas, in a Perspective which was not about taking Decisions, but inscribed on the Long-term, what could be Built, mainly upon the Franco-German relationship".

-+ "EuroFora" asked, because of the Latest News about Civilians re-starting to be Killed in Ukraine, this same Day, while Armed Clashes are going on from both sides, what would be done to face this Tragic Urgency ?

-"The (French) President is Daily occupied by this Conflict", "Indeed, he is very Concerned about the Situation on the Spot in Ukraine", Hollande's Top Press Counsellor told us.

=> - In this regard, "He speaks about several things, Together with Mrs Merkel, because they are doing Joint demarches (Moves)", "to Mr. Putin, Mr. Poroshenko", etc.

- This is done "in Various Formats", but "in a Continuous way", she confirmed, speaking at the beginning of a "Hot" WeekEnd.       

                      
- The main Aim is "in order to Ensure that there won't be an Additional Deterioration" of the already Harsh situation on the spot.  

 - This goes "both from the point of view of Security, as well as in the field of Economy", (as she said, just a few Months after experienced OECD Head, Angel Guria, speaking to "EuroFora", denounced the Negative Repercussions that the Conflict has already had to the detriment of the European Economy, at a particularly delicate moment of the way out of the recent Global Crisis. See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/oecdheadaskssolutionforukraine.html )

- "So, indeed, he (French President Hollande) is quite Seriously Concerned" about current Ukraine developments, Elysée's Top Counsellor stressed in conclusion.

- Now "the Urgency is that the Contact Group meets anew", she pointed out in reply to "EuroFora"s query about recent Hollande and Merkel relevant calls, (after Today's cancellation, reportedly because of Kiev's refusal to accept Autonomist Donetsk/Luhansk Regions' political Representatives, instead of their No 1 Leaders, after which, they asked, in return, that Kiev, at last, appoints for the Talks a Senior Government Official, instead of only the Retired, former President Kushma, without result for the moment).

+ "At the same time, both the (French) President (Hollande) and (the German Chancelor) Mrs Merkel make serious Efforts (to advance at the right track, Together with Presidents Putin and Poroshenko" she added.

 => -"The Priority Aim is the CeaseFire and the reciprocal Withdrawal of Heavy Weapons, (such as Tanks, Grad Missiles, Airplane Bombings, etc), in particular", "which are included among the Minsk Agreement's points", Mrs Claudine Ripert-Landler practicaly indicated.

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Meanwhile, Merkel reportedly  spoke on Phone with Poroshenko and called anew for Cease-Fire and Heavy Weapons Withdrawal, as well as for Dialogue in Minsk and "Normandy" format (i.e. with  Franco-German, Ukranian and Russian Leaders), towards Peace. In the meantime, she's due to meet Poroshenko on February 6-8 in Munich.

In parallel, OSCE Chairman and Serbia's Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, reportedly urged all sides involved in the Ukrainian conflict to stop the hostilities and return to the negotiating table, at a Phone Call with Swiss Ambassador Haidi Taglavini, OSCE representative for the Minsk Contact Group.

+ At another relevant development, OSCE's "Troika", composed by the current Serbian, the previous Swiss, and the forthcoming German, rotating Presidencies, reportedly plans to create a special High-Level "Panel" for Ukraine, which might include, inter alia, also former Twice Prime Minister of Greece, Costas Caramanlis, (Comp. various NewsReports witgh PM Caramanlis' satements by "EuroFora"s co-Founder, already published at MPAgency, TCWeekly, etc).

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    Paradoxically located closer to the USA Consulate General than to EU Parliament and CoE, the "Zuem YseHuet" Restaurant meeting between Hollande and Merkel, for the 1st time together with Schulz, who had reportedly invited them to Strasbourg, contrary to an erroneous assimilation by some (mainly French) Media with the famous "Blaesheim" type of Franco-German Summits, (from the name of the 1st, Historic such Summit between Chirac and Schroeder back on 2001, at the Village which gave them its name, near to Strasbourg's Airport, (Comp. f.ex. NewsReports by "EuroFora"s Co-Founder to "TCWeekly" and "MPAgency" then, from the spot), wasn't, in fact, considered at all to be a real "Blaesheim"-type Summit by the German Government, as Berlin's Press Officer Steinbach told "EuroFora", but simply another kind of "Unofficial (Top) Meeting", exceptionaly without the Press, without the two Countries' Foreign Ministers, and without a confirmed Regular character, but, instead, with an Unprecedented participation of EU Parliament's current President, (a well-known Socialist German MEP, from the same Political Party as Hollande, who had just visited Greece's New Prime Minister Tsipras -Leftist- just 1 Day earlier in Athens).

    While the 3 EU core Political Leaders were reportedly discussing mainly 3 issues : (1) Franco-German relationship and Europe's Future, (2) Greece and Financial €uroZone matters, as well as (3) developments in Ukraine Conflict, tension was High, at the same time, in Brussels, according to some other sources, during Ministers of Foreign affairs' Dicussions about how to proceed on Sanctions against Russia - particularly after the New, "Syriza" Government in Greece was said to have expresses some reserves against more Sanctions on Moscow, etc... Another recalcitrant might have been Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban, that Chancelor Merkel has already prepared to meet, immediately afterwards, on Monday, a few Days before he welcomes at Budapest also the Russian President Putin. (With the Difference that Orban is a ChristianDemocrat/EPP politican, as Merkel, and his Country has succesfuly rectified several Economic a.o. Errors made  by former "Socialist" Governments in the Past, so that its Financial and Socio-Economic situation looks exceptionaly Good recently)...

 

    In this exceptional context, "EuroFora" observed, from a Press standstill looking right at the "Zuem YseHuet" Strasbourg Restaurant hosting Hollande, Merkel and Schultz, that, just 1 Hour after their Arrival, when the Isolated Road where it's placed appeared curiously Deserted, with not even any Police or other Official standing or walking at its Front, (while, on the contrary, there was, naturally, a Heavy Police presence at the Surroundings), suddenly, an unidentified Night Visitor, preceded by apparently a Guard who opened for him the Restaurant's Side-Door, left a Car, walked through the Rain covered by a White Umbrela, and entered inside, alone in the Dark, (See relevant Photos), at 19.29 : I.e. precisely when the Strasbourg's Trilateral Summit might have finished its 1st Part, ready to start Discussions on the remaining 2 other Parts, in an  overall 3 Hours duration, approximatively from 18.30 up to 21.30 or a bit later. At that same moment, curiously, 2 or 3 Policemen suddenly pushed Violently out of the Press-standstill one of the few Journalists who had been previously allowed to  be there, without explanations, leaving that place without other independent witnesses then. Those who had earlier raised the question (f.ex. both to Schultz's Press Spokeman, Machmer, and to Tsipras' Ofice), whether, or not, Schultz might bring with him from his Thursday visit to Athens, also the New P.M. to Strasbourg, f.ex. for discreet but Timely contacts with Merkel and Hollande, started raising eyebrows : After all, who knows ?  Even if a "White Umbrella might indicate, rather, a Woman visitor : Perhaps EU's Federica Mogherini, or, may-be Dijsselbloem, if not USA's Victoria Nuland, otherwise, who else ?

And why all that Unprecedented degree of Secrecy specialy Today, (never seen before neither at the 1st "Blaesheim" Franco-German Summit of 2001 between Chirac and Shroeder, nor afterwards, between Chirac and Merkel, or Sarkozy and Merkel, not even in all previous Hollande -Merkel Franco-German Summits, at any other place and/or Date)?... 

At any case, that crucial frosty Night was deeply Dark, the 3 EU Leaders exceptionaly discussed without Witnesses, and their Table curiously had 2 additional sitting places, well prepared, but, at the beginning, empty...

.. Unless it was simply kept (in an unusual but possible move) for their "2 Translators", (who certainly know much more than any Journalists' forced speculation, given also the exceptional, quasi-total "Intimacy" of a so Discreet meeting, ,far away from the slightest publicity...

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