France: Juppe wants an overhaul of the Union for the Mediterranean
The new French minister Foreign Affairs, Alain Juppe, was on Tuesday one of its priorities the rebuilding of the Union for the Mediterranean (UPM), a forum of cooperation to strengthen the partnership between Europe and countries bordering the Mediterranean.
"We will have to rebuild the Union for the Mediterranean. It was a prescient initiative," Mr. Juppe said during the award of instructions with Michèle Alliot-Marie prone to controversy and forced the resignation on Sunday.
Launched in July 2008 by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, UPM brings together 44 members, including the 27 European Union countries (EU). The main issues are the organization of energy and environmental, highway and sea In reality, the organization hardly lead to concrete achievements.
"What is happening today in southern Méditarranée completely changing," he recalled Mr Juppe, referring to events in Tunisia and Egypt, where presidents were forced from power, and Libya, where demonstrations against the regime have resulted in acts of violence.
"We need to think about it," said Mr. Juppe, who had been at the head of diplomacy from 1993 to 1995 before becoming prime minister under President Jacques Chirac.
French diplomacy has been much criticism vis-à-vis the events in the south shore of the Mediterranean, while Ms. Alliot-Marie was at the center of controversy for having borrowed a plane from a Tunisian businessman close former Tunisian President Ben Ali.
Sunday evening, Mr. Sarkozy had announced the departure of Michele Alliot-Marie, and the appointments of Alain Juppe as head of Foreign Affairs, Defence Gerard Longuet, and Claude Gueant of the Interior.
For this government reshuffle, the leader of the French state wanted to end the controversy over Michele Alliot-Marie, to silence criticism of French diplomacy on track and put in the perspective of 2012 the government of "combat" . For
Alain Juppe, French diplomacy should also focus on strengthening partnerships with emerging countries, European defense and relations with Africa.
"(...) We must anticipate the development of Africa in the twenty-first century. It would be a mistake for us to relax our strategic presence on this continent with so many ties which have been constructed throughout history, "he said.
According to the Harris Interactive poll denrier released Tuesday, 55% of French people are" somewhat confident "to Alain Juppe as the new chief diplomat.
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