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Home arrow newsitems arrow French Foreign Minister Fabius ao to EuroFora+on Mali area: Security linked to Democracy+Development

French Foreign Minister Fabius ao to EuroFora+on Mali area: Security linked to Democracy+Development

Written by ACM
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
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*Paris/Quai d'Orsay/Angelo Marcopolo/- Speaking to Journalists in Paris, including "EuroFora", French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Mali's Prime Minister   Diango Cissoko, as well as other well informed sources at the Quai d'Orsay (See Infra), just after the Breaking News about the Abduction of a whole Family of Tourists with 4 Children at nearby Northern Cameroon, added to another kidnaping at Nigeria's North, by violent Terrorists reportedly reacting to France's military help to Mali's Government, appeared to agree, in substance, that the current Priority is to guarantee the Securisation of all that Area, and its Democratic Development, which are so linked that one can't go without the other :

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- After pointing from the start to the "3 aspects" of actions currently needed at Mali : "Security, Political Dialogue and Elections, as well as Economic Development", Fabius had an ostensibly Friendly  greeting with a Tuareg representative from Mali's Northern area, right in front of "EuroFora", (as an experienced politician, that we have already met since his 1st visit to the Council of Europe when he was serving as French National Assembly's President).

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+ As for Mali's Prime Minister Cissoko, (who had just met, yesterday in Brussels, with EU Commission's President Barroso), he also denounced the fact that what you can do with a given sum of Money in the South of the Country, often needs up to 3 times more in order to be done at the North, as he said, apparently criticizing the lack of Security and Democratic Unity, (eventually added to thus provoked Corruption), which hinders also Economic Development.

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The point on the current need to ensure an elementary Security to the wider surrounding area also as an indispensable means to release the region's in fact important Development potential, among others, also via MulttiNational Projects to transport nearby Nigeria's Gas Exports (i.e. currently the Biggest recent Findings of Energy resources in the World, even more than Egypt's Nile Delta) towards Europe and other Countries that could benefit f.ex. by a kind of "Trans-Saharian Gas Pipeline", straight on from Nigeria up to Algeria and the Mediterranean Sea, continuing via Italy and/or Ships to France's Marseille Foss II NLG ,new terminal, Spain's equivalent infrastructures, etc;, as recalled by "EuroFora", was considered as at least interesting t be considered seriously, as reacted in substance, carefuly but positively, the new French Foreign Ministry's Press Director and Spokesman, (who had earlier served at New York), Philippe Lalliot.

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+ Irish EU Council's rotating Chair, Minister for EU affairs Lucinda Craighton's recent anouncement, earlier at EU Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committtee's Hearing organized in Strasbourg by its President, German ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Elmar Broc, that EU currently examines the preparation of a possible Mission to check Borders between key South Mediterranean Countries, such as Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, etc., and Sub-Saharian African Countries, such as Mali, etc, by using mainly Civic Security means inspired inter alia by "FrontEx", (EU's External Borders' guards), including f.ex. High Tech Satellite Monitoring and/or Command/Communications' systems, etc., was, meanwhile, positively welcomed also by other French Foreign Ministry's well informed sources, specialized to Africa, speaking later tp "Eurofora", pointing to a parallel discussion on similar issues recently at the Quai d'Orsay.

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Such moves sould topically and usefully boost also EU's Civic aspects of European Security and Defense policy, in parallel and in addition to its Military aspects, strengthening further its "Dual" nature, supported by EU Parliament and December 2012 EU Summit in Brussels (comp. "EuroFora"s relevant NewsReport from the spot).

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Contrary to what some still believe in Europe, erroneously claiming that "Mali is far away from the EU", etc, it's indeed enough to just See and Compare f.ex. a Map for the above mentioned Nigerian - Algerian - Italian (etc). Trans-Saharian Gas Pipeline project, with another Map showing where so-called "Islamic Extremist Groups" suddenly appeared recently all throughout the surrounding area, next to Mali, between Nigeria, Cameroon, etc. and Algeria-Tunisia-Libya, etc., (often confused amidst a too recent Nebula of various small Terrorist Groups curiously mushrooming lately at that precise region, as the Foreign Ministry's Deputy Press Ditector and Spokesman, Vincent Floreani observed agreeing in substance with "EuroFora"), in order to clearly realize that the Spatial, Temporal and Functional "Coincidences" are so Striking that some might even speculate there about an eventual so-called Geo-Political "Complot" Hypothesis, even if I think that it's not the case, as another Diplomatic source spontaneouly observed, during a discussion with "EuroFora".

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To put it in a nutshell, in addition to the necessary SafeGuards against fast-spreading Terrorism, there is also aVital need to Develop the area's Economy, possibly in a way of mutually beneficial projects of cooperation between Europe and Africa, etc., , some of which indicate an Important Potential which shouldn't be missed, (be it in Energy Resources and/or otherwise), while also Protecting the Local Populations.


So, while the initial, Front-line Military action,  in order to Help Mali's Government to recuperate its "Territorial Integrity" at the North, (as Foreign Minister Fabius observed), appear to have succesfully advanced, from now on, there are still Serious issues of Securization, as well as of a Democratic organization, with sufficient Dialogue and Economic Development, wich must be solved now, thanks also to the Beginning of EU's "Training" Mission on the spot, destinated to help Mali build its own efficient National Army, while also backed by France and African a.o. forces, addd to EU's parallel Decision to start unblocking its Development Aid and co-organise, together with France, an International Donors' Conference to help the area's Economic Development, since the Govenment of Mali accepted to hold "Elections" soon, as well as to launch a National "Dialogue" with various Political groups.


Such moves should go hand by hand also with the necessity to seriously investigate and punish any eventual Abuse, by whoever it might have been committted against any local population, against EU and UNO's standards, clearly added French Foreign Minister Fabius, and this promisse was confirmed by Mali's Prime Minister Cissoko, who denounced any alleged abuse as "unacceptable", anouncing that all alleged violations of human rights would be investigated, so that, if proved, their perpetrators would face Sanctions.

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+ The Prime Minister of Mali clearly promissed, also, that "All Communities" inside the Country would be associated to a comprehensive and inclusive process of National "Dialogue", in addition to the "Elections" that he anounced for "July", while observing also that many Tuareg at the North of the Country are, in fact, Peaceful and seeking a Reconcliation through Political Dialogue.


The crystal-clear "Conditions" for participationg in that process are naturally to Respect the "Territorial Integrity" of the Country, and to exclude any practice of Terrorism, stressed French Foreign Minister Fabius, while also adding that among various Compromise-making mechanisms, "Local/Regional De-Centralisation" could be included among some Positive Ideas on how to find Solutions to conflicts.

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In the Medium-Long term, such forthcoming developments throughout the surrounding area, should be bettter backed, from a Security point of view, by a fully-fledged International "Peace Keeping Mission", that UNO's Security Council could decide, in order to Bettter fix some Organisational, Logistics, Cooperation and Legal issues, thanks to a more adequate Structure for the Future, anounced French Foreign Minister Fabius.

(../..)

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(NDLR : "FlashNews", ie. a Brief version of a "DraftNews" already sent, earlier, to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors. A more accurate, full Final Version might be published asap).


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Former "Green-Red" German government's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer's job at the controversial Turkish pipeline "Nabucco" was denounced as "not proper", "very bad", and "incompatible with Democracy", by the new President of EU Parliament's EuroLeft Group, German Lothar Bisky, replying to an "EuroFora" question.

For once, criticism of Joschka Fischer's doings with Turkey affecting Europe, didn't come only from the Center-Right of the political spectrum, but even from his Left side : The experienced Bisky, who has been chairing all over 1993-2009 the PDS - Die Linke party :  

- "Former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer got involved in dealings with oil-gaz business in a foreign country, Turkey, and its controversial Nabucco pipeline. This raises questions about Democracy, also because of the well known problems of Human Rights violations in that country. Do you thing that this might be abused in order to cover up and close EU's eyes on Human Rights violations ?", "EuroFora" asked Bisky.

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- "Nabucco pipeline is (only) at the planning stage". And "there are some difficulties",  he observed from the start. But "'I don't want to get into the details of Nabucco pipeline, because I don't think that there is any point for it at the moment".
 
At any case,  "we  (EU Parliament's EuroLeft Group) strongly believe that Politicians should not get involved in the Energy Business, and all these commercial transactions", President Bisky declared on the Joschka Fiischer's affair.

- "We feel that it's something that shouldn't be done. It's not proper !"           

- "We don't think that it's compatible with Democracy either, and it gets politics into a very Bad track", Bisky went on to denounce.
                                                                                                                                                                        
- "EuroLeft  and "Die Linke" always spoke against that, saying that politicians should not get directly into the arms of private enterprises"

- "It is pretty bad if a former Minister takes a job f.ex. in a major Energy producer. So, it's an issue if a Minister who may have seen excellent opportunities, subsequently gets personally grasp of them, in very serious parts of the economy, once he has given up his (Government) job."

- "It doesn't really make politics in general look any better'", Bisky concluded.

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Earlier, this week in Strasbourg, other Journalists had also raised critical questions on former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer's involvement in the conroversial Turkish Nabucco pipeline to the President of his own EuroParty : Kohn-Bendit of the "Greens", who, contrary to Bisky, tried to find excuses for Fischer, while criticizing his long-time partner, Schroeder for having done a similar move :

- "Shroeder was chancellor", and he "negociated" with "Russians", who gave him a job only "3 Months" after he resigned from the Government. While "Joschka Fischer", on the contrary, got a job with the controversial Turkish Nabucco pipeline only "4 Years after" he left the Government. "He didn't negociate Nabucco", so I have "no objection", Kohn Bendit claimed.

But, many Facts indicate the contrary :

Joschka Fischer was Foreign Minister in Germany from 1999 up to 2005 : I.e. from the year that EU took the controversial decision to give Turkey a "Candidate" status, until he year it started controversial "accession negotiations, (later declared "open-ended" after Sarkozy-Merkel's arrival from 2005-2007).

During that period was prepared the controversial so-called "Annan" Plan (in fact, drafted by others and attributed afterwards to the former UN SG) on Cyprus, which failed after a Popular Referendum said "No" on 2004 with a large Majoriy of 3/4 : 75%. Mainly because it was criticized for making too much concessions to the Turkish side :  Particularly by restricting Greek Cypriot Refugees' Human Right to return to their ancestral Land and/or get restitution of their Familiy Homes and private properties, usurpated by Ankara's Army since the 1974 militay invasion and continuing occupation of the northern part of Cyprus. And by weakening the Central Government, leaving to 2 "constituent States" so much powers and separate interests that more conflicts appeared inevitable, provoking the danger of a break-down in the foreseable future, with more crisis, troubles, perhaps bloodshed, etc., instead of creating an harmoniously integrated, really one federal State.

The controversial Plan was finalized on March-April 2004 at Burgenstock (Switzerland), curiously in the presence of an Envoy by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, then governed by Joschka Fischer, but in the absence of a French and not even an European Union's Envoy, contrary to what was usually practiced on similar occasions in Switzerland (fex. in 1997 at Montreux, in 2000 at Geneva, etc).

Turkey notoriously exploited the failure of the "Annan" Plan in order to convince the EU to decide to start accession Negotiations on December 2004. This provoked an unprecedented series of Institutional Crisis inside the EU, shortly afterwards, when French and Dutch People rejected, 2 popular EuroReferenda by a majority "'No" vote to the EU Constitutional Treaty on 2005, aggraveted in 2004 a Majority Abstention to EU Elections, etc., followed by the recent Irish "No", etc.

"Nabucco" Gas pipeline was notoriously planned since ..2002. It follows an even earlier idea, for an Oil pipeline Baku-Ceyhun, which started to be prepared on 1999-2001 and was meanwhile recently completed.  

So, facts indicate that what is now at stake is based on decisions made during Joschka Fischer's term as former Foreign Minister, closely interested in Turkey's controversial EU-bid.

To the point that he now practically ...switched jobs with a poliician from Turkey, (the State which pays today openly Joschka Fischer), Mr. Ozdemir, who came earlier in Germany, got fast the nationality, and became EiuroMP in a few years, continuing now as head of the "Greens" in Germany, i.e. in Joschka's former job !...

Such astonishing facts risk, unfotunately, to give to German politician Lothar Bisky's criticism of  representative Democracy a topical meaning :

 - "We (EuroLeft Group) think that what is really at stake is Democracy. It's not only about Gas Pipelines or Energy sources", President Lothar Bisky went on to add in his reply to "EuroFora"'s question on Joscka Fischer's personal interests in the controversial Turkish "Nabuco" pipeline.

Such facts, "make People get more distance from Politics. ...People had had enough, and they are fed up !".

- "That's why we (EuroParliament's "EuroLeft" Group) want to strengthen Direct Democracy in Europe. Citizens should be involved in the (EU) Decision-making. In the end of the day, it's not going to help anyone if Politicians are always taking decisions, without involving Citizens. We want to give a voice to the People of Europe. They've got to have their say in the decisions that are taken. That's one of our absolutely fixed and steadfast views. We want more Direct Democracy in Europe. That's how it can become more effective and stronger", he concluded.

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