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France, Britain and the Crises in the Middle East
Written by Jean-Marie Le Breton
This report by Jean-Marie LeBreton, and translated by Christopher Johnson, provides an overview of the opinions and comments of the participants, and the conclusions reached im a seminar in June 2006. On 29 June 2006 the Franco-British Council organised a seminar co-chaired by M. Jean-Pierre Lafon, former French Ambassador, and Sir Harold Walker, former British Ambassador, to discuss the crises in the Middle East.
The discussions took place in an open and trusting atmosphere and gave rise to a common analysis of the risks and issues at stake in the developing situation in the region. Points emphasised included:
- Stronger efforts are needed in the area of communication, especially with the local media, to encourage essential values such as freedom and tolerance and to thereby promote the easing of tensions and stability
- The acceptance of the peacemaking process, the recognition of the frontiers and the right of each state to security, the need for good governance and the importance of coordinated aid for reconstruction, are all crucial in order to support peaceful social and economic development and thereby reduce the frustrations which fuel political and religious fundamentalism
- The French and British governments should both continue their work together in the region, alongside their partners, particularly in the context of the developing Iranian crisis and in view of the unique role that France and Britain can play in assisting the understanding of these problems.
- France and the UK have an important role to play in helping the governments and peoples of the countries of the Middle East to develop democratic and pluralist structures, taking account of the local context
- A deeper joint analysis is needed from France and Britain on the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan whilst ensuring the two countries’ security; on the question of full Iraqi sovereignty; on mobilising the Quartet to advance the Israel-Palestine peace process; on the status of Sacred Places in Jerusalem; and on ways to ensure that the Palestinian government functions effectively.
Number of pages/format: 18 pages
Published: October 2006