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| Hervé Morin, the French minister of Defence, greets Robert Gates, his US counterpart on the occasion of their first getting together in Paris © R. Pellegrino |
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French and US defence chiefs meet in Paris
By Jean-Michel Guhl
in Paris, France
Meeting in Paris on June 5, 2007, on the
eve of the 63rd anniversary of the D-Day invasion, Defense Secretary
Robert M. Gates and French Defence Minister Hervé Morin agreed to work
toward strengthening their two countries’ historic ties. Morin told
reporters after a 45-minute session with Gates that he considers it “a
great honor” that Gates is the first foreign defence leader to visit
since Morin took office two weeks ago.
Gates called today’s meeting “a good introductory conversation” that covered a full range of defense issues. Morin
for his part said he and Gates shared many common views during their discussions and
agreed that they want to work together and collaborate on a variety of
issues. The French minister reiterated France’s support for the NATO
International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan, the
NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo, and the Darfur, Sudan,
peacekeeping effort.
Asked about France’s commitment to
Afghanistan, Morin said: “Our role is not to remain forever.” Rather,
he said, the goal is to develop and reinforce Afghanistan’s own
institutions so it can stand on its own. He called training of
Afghanistan’s security forces a priority.
In a very positive political move, aimed at easing away past tensions of the Chirac period, both leaders said
they were looking forward to visiting Normandy together on June 6, the
anniversary of D-Day, a sad but glorious day in history when thousands of Americans died storming the beaches of Nazi-occupied France on June 6, 1944.
“At
the same time we will memorialize those who gave their lives on D-Day,
we will also acknowledge and celebrate the long ties that have bound
both the United States and France,” Gates said. Morin told
reporters his father reminded him often “how much we owe to all the
Allied soldiers, especially the young Americans who came to die on our
beaches. Therefore the American graveyards have a great and deep significance,” he added.
Gates’
visit follows Nicolas Sarkozy’s recent election as France’s new
president. Nicolas Sarkozy, who has advocated closer relations with the United
States, met with President Bush and other European,
Canadian, Japanese and Russian leaders just the week-end after during the annual G8 conference in
Germany. [Paris - 06-06-2007]
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| US Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, troops the colours along with Hervé Morin, French minister of Defence. © R. Pellegrino/MinDef/Cab |
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