Press Conference by Minister for Foreign Affairs of France

 

The plight of the world’s poor must be addressed alongside global warming at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said at a Headquarters press conference today.

“It is important to save the planet, but also to save the poor people on the planet,” Mr. Kouchner said, following a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on a range of topics.  He noted that the Conference was occurring at the two-thirds mark on the way to attaining the Millennium Development Goals of slashing extreme poverty and other global ills by 2015, and that access to energy and other subjects were related to both the Millennium targets and climate change.

He said he supported a 0.005 per cent tax on international currency transactions ‑‑ 5 cents per €1,000 transaction ‑‑ to fight poverty and mitigate the effects of climate change on developing countries.  Hopefully, the proposed tax, which would be imposed through United Nations mechanisms, would be brought up in Copenhagen.

Mr. Kouchner said he was generally optimistic about the Climate Change Conference, considering the low expectations voiced recently.  “Two months ago it was a disaster.  Today it’s a success.  We’ll have to see.”  Whatever agreements were reached, it was important that the United Nations system developed a follow-up mechanism.  He added that he had proposed the creation of a “world environmental organization” to focus on carbon emissions.  “We have to control the effectiveness of the commitments.”

Asked what kind of reactions the tax on financial transactions was receiving, he said neoliberals were, of course, reluctant, but otherwise most people were for it.  “It will be done.  It will be done,” he insisted, adding:  “If it comes from this Conference it would be a big, big benefit.”  He said he had also discussed the Sudan, Guinea and many other topics with the Secretary-General in their “very interesting and effective meeting”.

On the subject of his country’s future role in Afghanistan, the Minister emphasized that France was in charge of security in two specific areas.  The mission had not changed and the country had deployed a significant number of troops to carry it out.

Regarding Jerusalem, he said his country’s position was clear:  the city should be the capital of two States.  However, it might be difficult to achieve consensus in Brussels.

As for the possibility that no legally binding regime would emerge from Copenhagen next week, he stressed the importance of first getting every country to accept the same agreement, both those that had signed up to the Kyoto Protocol and those that had not.  “‘Seal the deal’ is a slogan.  Making the deal is a political concern and burden,” he concluded.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record