Up To Date france

A possible agreement between France and Russia regarding the acquisition of a Mistral-class amphibious assault vessel should be carefully analysed, according to a US deputy secretary of state.

“I think this is an issue that the President has paid some attention to. But I think this is the question that we need to discuss with our French colleagues — how best to promote stability in the region”, James Steinberg said in a media briefing held in the Foreign Press Centre.

Such agreements are a national concern of a country, and the US only wanted to “make sure that there was full exploration of all the consequences”, he further said.

Steinberg added that the talks regarding the matter should be conducted not only between France and the US, but also with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) level.

France has been in talks with Russia regarding the acquisition of a Mistral-class vessel worth 400–500 million euros or about $540-$675 million. French technology can be also used by Russia to develop three vessels in collaboration with DCNS, a naval shipbuilder in France.

On 1 March, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a joint press engagement with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that Mistral is “a helicopter carrier we will create for Russia without military equipment”.

A Mistral-class vessel can transport and deploy 450 personnel, 16 helicopters, four landing barges and about 70 armoured cars, including 13 battle tanks.

The military and financial value of the acquisition have been questioned by several industry and military experts, with some believing that Russia only wanted to access the sophisticated naval technology, which soon can be used in possible conflicts with NATO and its partners.

The devastating storms that ravaged France at the weekend leaving around 50 people dead and communities in ruins could not be held back by the country’s crumbling sea defences, it was alleged yesterday (MONDAY).

A number of the fatalities occurred in the coastal community of L’Aiguillon-sur-Mer, where the sea wall was breached by the raging seas clearing the way for eight metre high waves to lay assault on the town.

And as French president Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday expressed his sympathy for those affected by the storm and pledged aid of €3 million, residents in the area were questioning the way in which the vital defences had been allowed to degenerate.

Speaking at a news conference president Sarkozy said: “It is a national disaster, a human drama with a terrible death toll. The urgent thing is to support the families who have members missing or dead.”

Philippe de Villiers, a prominent politician from the badly affected Vendee region commented: “The sea wall that broke date from Napoleonic times.

“Either we build new sea wall, in which case they need to be taller, or we have to build further inland.”

The criticisms were acknowledged by French prime minister Francois Fillon who also confirmed strengthening work on flood dykes would be carried out, but added: “The priority now is to make all the homeless people safe, all the people who are still threatened by the rising waters.”

France has been hit by a massive storm that has left at least 45 people dead, it was reported yesterday.

The winter storm, which has been christened Xynthia by meteorologists hit the countries west coast on Satuday night leaving massive destruction in its wake.

Classified as an extra tropical cyclone, the powerful winds brought down trees and power lines as well as causing flooding in some areas.

French prime minister Francois Fillon told a new conference that Xythia and its effects were a “national catastrophe”.

Speaking at a news conference yesterday. Mr Fillon confirmed that the death toll was believed to have reached 45 in France and said: “”Many people drowned, surprised by the rapid rise of the water.”

He added that a multi agency operation was being instigated to ensure the safety of those still stranded in storm struck areas saying: “Now the priority is to bring all the people left homeless and still threatened by the rising waters to safety. All services are mobilized to reach that goal as soon as possible.”

French interior minister Brice Hortefeux told reporters that soldiers and firefighter had been scrambled to the worst affet areas in order to aid those affected.

Many families and households have already been plucked from their roofs by emergency services after being forced to the highest point by rising water and a million homes were left without power in the aftermath of the storm yesterday (SUNDAY), which saw winds gusting up to 124mph.

French prime minister Francois Fillon has met with the Aghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, to reassure him that France is committed to seeing stability restored to the war torn country.

Mr Fillon held  unpublicized meetings with the Afghan leader at the presidential palace under heavy guard to assure him that French personnel would remain in the country until the Afghan government was capable of taking on the task of running the country for itself.

In a news conference following the meeting the French Prime Minister told reporters: “”France will stay for as long as it takes to bring stability to Afghanistan”

The visit comes in the wake of criticism of France’s decision to send only 80 extra military personnel to the region as NATO forces prepare for a major offensive against the Taliban.

But French politicians have consistently defended the decision – which is in harsh contrast to the US’s commitment of 30,000 extra troops saying that France has been building forces in the country consistently over the course of the conflict.

When questioned on the decision, Mr Fillon said simply: “We have committed the necessary means to accomplish the mission that has been entrusted to us.”

Mr Fillon was accompanied on his visit by French army chief Jean Louis Georgelin and the pair are now expected to meet with NATO military commander General Stanley McChrystal

France has hit back at criticism of its decision to send only 80 extra military trainers to Afghanistan after America called for all countries to send reinforcements to help support the war effort.

The decision, which was announced at last week’s meeting of defence ministers from NATO member states, had drawn derision from some who felt it fell short of the current critical demands in the region.

But defence minister Hervé Morin rounded on his critics following meetings with his US counterpart Robert Gates defending the decision to send so few extra personnel and highlighting France’s ongoing commitment to the conflict, which has seen them consistently increasing troop numbers in the country since the summer of 2008

He told reporters: “We have made an enormous effort since July 2008,” and went on to details France’s own decision to increase troop numbers in the region before President Obama’s administration issued their call to arms.

The US has committed to sending a further 30,000 service people the war zone, but France near neighbours Germany have committed only a extra 850.

US defence minister Robert Gates spoke out in support of his international colleague saying the French presence should be looked at in context.

He said it was “important to maintain some perspective” and added: “Since this conflict began, thousands of French troops have served courageously alongside American forces and other members of the coalition, and many have made the ultimate sacrifice.”

The French and Swiss governments have reached an agreement over a tax treaty that had been threatened by the leaking of details of Swiss bank accounts.

France and Switzerland were in the throes of finalising a deal to prevent would-be French tax cheats from hiding funds in neighbouring Switzerland, when details of HSBC Swiss bank customers were leaked to the French government by a disgruntled former employee.

The French used the possession of the data, which included details of thousands of accounts held by French nationals, to encourage tax cheats to come forward and put their fiscal affairs in order.

But Swiss authorities demanded the return of the stolen information, putting a hold on the tax treaty and threatening to pull out if France did not cooperate.

But at the World Economic Summit in Davos yesterday, the two countries broke their deadlock, clearing the way for the agreement to go ahead as planned.

Swiss finance minister Hans-Rudolf Merx met with his French counterpart Eric Woerth to discuss the issue and emerged confident that the two countries would now go forward with their original plans.

Emerging from the meeting Mr Merz told reporters: “We have found an agreement. France has agreed not to use stolen data when asking for (tax) information.

A spokesman for the French budget ministry confirmed they would not be using the documents to seek further information from Switzerland but said the data would still be used in the prosecution of tax cheats already uncovered.

The Chinese have topped the list of holiday shoppers in France for the first time.

A study released yesterday (THURSDAY) revealed that tourists from China were the biggest overseas spenders during visits to France.

The figures  from tzx refunded shopping  industry body Global Leader showed that, in total, Chinese shoppers accounted for 15 per cent of the total amount spent in France by overseas shoppers last tax year.

Until now the top spot has been occupied by Russians, whose spending on jewellery has seen them retain a consistent lead in the spending ranks.

However, it seems the Chinese love of French fashion has proved a massive boost to their totals, with a large portion of their spending taking place in exclusive boutiques.

Figure reveal that 87 per cent of the Chinese spend was on fashion items with popular choices being shoes and handbags, most of which were purchased from outlets in an around the capital.

The news will come as no surprise to staff and customers as Paris branchs of stores such as Printemps and Galeries Lafayette which have become a must see stop on the Chinese visitors itineraries.

And the flourishing Chinese economy seems to be filtering down to their overseas travellers – with a year on year Chinese spending increase in France of a massive 47 per cent on last year.

Overall visiting Chinese shoppers paid out €155 million to French retailers, with the Russian bill coming at at €112 million.

Japanese tourists to the third place in the spending ranks with a spend of €99 million.

Effort to improve relations between France and the former colony of Algeria seem to have once again hit a stumbling block after Algerian officials vetoed a visit by the French foreign minister.

Frances foreign minister Bernard Kouchner had been due to travel to Algiers this week in order to hold a series of meeting with his Algerian counterpart Mourad Medelci .

But Algerian officials called off the plans at the last minute, angered by France’s cooperation with a US decree that air passengers from their country should be subjected to extra security controls at airports.

The French government ratifies the American security risk list, produced in the wake of the Christmas day bombing attempt on an airliner over US soil, which includes Algeria as a country of interest in terms of US national security.

Other countries on the list include Iran, Yemen and Somalis, with all passengers originating in these nations being subject to heightened security at cooperating countries’ airports across the globe.

The news will come as a blow to French officials who were hoping that Mr Kouchner would be able to use the visit to patch up already delicate relations between the two countries, which had turned frosty since Algerian president Abdelaziz Boutefika cancelled a scheduled visit to France last year.

Algeria has made repeated request for the French government to apologise over perceived crimes allegedly committed during its rule in the North African former colony.

Authorities in Tehran have urged the French government to free an Iranian national facing  extradition to the US.

Majid Kakavand, 37, is currently being held in France after being arrested at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport in March of last year on charges of breaking the trade embargo with Iran.

The Iranian engineer is accused of sending electrical components and measuring devices to his homeland using a Malaysian company as cover.

The Americans have applied for his extradition and the case is currently awaiting a hearing in the appeal court in Paris.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said yesterday (TUESDAY) that he believed the French were being placed under pressure to comply with Washington’s demands rather than being allowed to make up their own minds on the merits of the case.

He told reporters: “This is due to political pressure from the United States and it is illegal. They should take some serious action and free him as soon as possible.

“He is going on trial despite being innocent. We denounce France’s act.”

According to American sources, the items in question had both civilian and military applications and were therefore subject to regulations governing their export to Iran.

The accused’s legal team, however, maintain the components were not high spec enough to have a use in military or space technology.

Mr Mehmanparast said the documents presented as evidence in the case were “forgeries” and said the who episode was as a  result of “political motives”

France and Kuwait have signed a deal on nuclear cooperation.

The two countries yesterday (THURSDAY) formalised a 20 year agreement to work together on the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

The agreement will boost the progress of nuclear development in areas such as power generation, which will act as a boon to Kuwaiti utilities suppliers who have been hit by power cuts in recent years  during the height of summer when air conditioning used increases.

Kuwait is one of a number of OPEC oil exporting countries keen to explore the possibilities offered by nuclear power in order to free up a greater proportion of their oil and gas for export to foreign markets.

Kuwaiti nuclear bosses have already held talks with French energy giant Areva in advance of the agreement being finalised

Speaking in advance of the deal being officially sealed yesterday, chairman of the French atomic energy commission, Bernard Bigot said: “This is an intergovernmental agreement for cooperation between the French and Kuwaiti governments.

“”This is the first step of cooperation and to share experience in the nuclear field.”

“After signing we will begin discussions, sharing information in such a way that the Kuwaitis will make their own decision on how to move forward.

France is currently in talks with Saudi Arabia with a view to entering into a similar deal, while the UAE recently agrees a deal with the Korea Electric Power Corp. to acquire their own nuclear reactors.