Author(s):
Site Admin <webmaster2SPAMFLTER@SPATMFLTERicbl.org> .
Friday 12 October 2007
Today Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Jody Williams met with French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to press for stronger action on cluster munitions, Iran, Burma, and Darfur. Ms. Williams is in Paris as Honorary President of the first “Rencontres Internationales du Cinéma Vérité” which starts in the French capital today.
During the meeting, Jody Williams called on France to vigorously engage in a ban on cluster munitions and forcefully support the Oslo Process, which will lead to the adoption of an international treaty that will 'prohibit the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of cluster munitions that cause unacceptable harm to civilians' by 2008. Mrs Williams echoed Handicap International, leading the campaign in France, and urged France to demonstrate its willingness to concretely address the devastating consequences of the use of cluster bombs by immediately adopting a national moratorium on the use, production and export of these weapons, and start destroying stockpiles.
On IranJody Williams recalled the position and actions of her fellow laureate Shirin Ebadi, and emphasised the need to avoid another war at all costs, and reach out to Iranian citizens. She suggested positive French action on their own nuclear arsenal and recommended that France lead a new initiative on complete nuclear disarmament.
Mrs Williams appreciated the efforts of the French Foreign Minister to get ASEAN states to fully engage in resolving the crisis in Burma. However, she urged further isolation of the military dictatorship of Burma in this country until the release of her fellow Laureate Aung San Suu-Kyi and the beginning of credible peace negotiations. She called on France to listen to the voice of the Burmese Nobel Peace Laureate who called for complete political and economical isolation when they met in February 2003, inRangoon.
Lastly Jody Williams thanked France for its efforts on Darfur and urged that it continue to press the government of Sudan to ensure full deployment of AU-UN peacekeeping forces, quickly deploy EU forces along the border with Chad and the Central African Republic and seriously engage in negotiations to bring peace to people of Darfur.
***
For more information : Sylvie Brigot + 33 6 07 17 27 76