5/27/2011French Pres. assertes 1967 frontiers as borders of Palestinian state
French President Nicholas Sarkozy asserted here Friday at the close of the G8 summit of major industrialized countries that 1967 frontiers are the prescribed borders of the future Palestinian state.
Sarkozy said, in a press conferece held at the close the G8 two-day summit, that there are the accredited frontiers, noting that, "we cannot talk about a state without mentioning its borders, and this shows the courage embedded in the address delivered by US President Barack Obama who delineated these borders." Sarkozy also noted that French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe will pay a visit to the Middle East at the beginning of this month to push forward the efforts of resuming the negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis.
The French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said earlier today that Juppe's three-day visit includes Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Further, the final communique issued by the G8 summit asserted that world major industrialized countries lend support to the vision adopted by the US President for peace in the Middle East region in which Obama expressed for the first time his support to the establishment of a Palestinian state on the borders of 1967.
The statement also made a reference to the donor countries' conference to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) which France will play host to next June, though the statement did not set a given date for it.
Syria ..
Taking a different tack, Sarkozy called on Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad either spearhead a democratic change that lives up to the aspirations of Syrian people or to "step down." Sarkozy added, "we did our best to bring Syria back to the international system, and France enjoys some credibility in offering the option which is currently offered to the Syrian President." French call for power quit by the Al-Assad who is facing strong protests is the first of its kind as French authorities were previously calling only for stopping repression, and engineering reforms that live up to the aspirations of the Syrian people.
Sarkozy added that, "Syrian President fully knows that France was not motivated to take such stance except after the democratic retreat that cannot be accepted." He also deplored what he described as a "one step backward," by the Syrian leaders in what disagrees with the international community, noting that, "France under these conditions withdraws its confidence, and denounces all acts requiring denunciation."
Libya ..
Regarding conditions in Libya, Sarkozy said that seeking a mediation with Libyan Col. Gaddafi "became impossible," noting that he should quit immediately.
Sarkozy also said, in the same press conference, that, "Gaddafi should go to keep pains aways from his own people, but if he remains obstinate, he will pay the price.' Sarkozy made clear that, "there was a unanimity among the G8 member states, besides our partners in the African continent, on the necessity of Gaddafi's power quit as well as the stepping up the military operations in order to protect the civilians within the framework of the UN Security Council resolution.
An aide of the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said earlier today that Russia had partners close to Gaddafi, noting that they can negotiate with him in order to quit the power.
Meanwhile, Sarkozy said that he plans to visit, along with British Prime Minister David Cameron, the stronghold of the Libyan revolutionaries in the Libyan port city of Benghazi.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2169769&Language=en
