French Prime Minister Fillon Addresses AJC Annual Dinner

WASHINGTON, May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, addressing the American Jewish Committee's Annual Dinner, declared "Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons," and called for a "firm, united front" against theMiddle East nation to prevent it from crossing the nuclear threshold.

"Iran is a great nation governed by unsettling people," said Fillon. "Their statements aboutIsrael bear witness to their hostility andIsrael shows its moral strength in not responding to these verbal provocations."

Before an audience of more than 1,500, including foreign dignitaries, members of Congress, Jewish leaders from around the world and AJC members representing communities across the U.S., the French Prime Minister spoke of his admiration for "Israel, our ally, our friend," on the eve of the Jewish state's 60th anniversary as well as the closeness of American-French ties. It was the first visit of a French prime minister toWashington in ten years.

Fillon was emphatically clear on French policy towardsIran. "Our strategy is straightforward. Either dialogue or growing isolation -- diplomatic isolation, economic isolation, financial isolation."

"We want to avoid being confronted one day with a choice between the Iranian bomb and the bombing of Iran," said Fillon.

The common approach of the U.S. andFrance toIran is reflective of the shared interests of the two nations. "More than ever, disorder in the world calls for a solid alliance between our two nations," said Fillon.

The French Prime Minister, declaring his country's commitment toIsrael, said, "Israel has a right to security; security is essential." Fillon condemned the continuing Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, and urged the release of kidnapped Israeli solider Gilad Shalit.

"Together withthe United States,France supportsIsrael in its arduous journey toward a just and lasting peace," he said.

Speaking optimistically about achieving an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement by the end of the year, Fillon said, "Despite the tensions, disappointment and fear, the Israelis and the Palestinians must find the courage to reach a historic compromise."

Fillon said the Palestinian Authority "must shoulder its responsibilities and reform its security services."France andEurope are prepared to provide assistance, including, when circumstances permit, "taking part in an international force to support the Palestinian security services."

He also saidFrance, after it assumes in July the six-month presidency of the European Union, "must take advantage of our presidency to reinforce the role and presence ofEurope in the region."

History teaches that peace is sometimes harder to wage than war itself, said Fillon. "I remember what John Kennedy said -- 'Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.'"

Turning to the Jewish community inFrance, the prime minister said, "Our Jewish fellow citizens have given so much toFrance for so many centuries that any sign of hostility towards them is an affront to our entire national community."

Emphasizing that French government policy is "zero tolerance" for acts of anti-Semitism, Fillon reported, that as a result of law enforcement actions, anti-Semitic incidents inFrance have declined by 50 percent since 2004.

AJC has a longstanding relationship withFrance, and is represented inParis by Valerie Hoffenberg.

www.ajc.org

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

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