FRANCE: FAR RIGHT LEADER JEAN MARIE LE PEN GIVES NEWS CONFERENCE AND REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO RENEGOTIATION OF EU TREATIES

Record ID: 647910

  • Title: FRANCE: FAR RIGHT LEADER JEAN MARIE LE PEN GIVES NEWS CONFERENCE AND REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO RENEGOTIATION OF EU TREATIES
  • Date: 27th April 2002
  • Summary: (W4) PARIS, FRANCE (26 APRIL 2002) (REUTERS) 1. SLV JEAN-MARIE LE PEN ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE 0.13 2. (SOUNDBITE) (French) JEAN MARIE LE PEN SAYING "The (Brussels) press conference could not take place after the parliament security officers realised that a group of about 30 hooligans had entered the premises, acting with the complicity of some leftist parliamentarians, the same, in fact, who had held little signs reading "no" inside the session room, and tried to interrupt my speech on the Middle East." 0.54 3. SLV JOURNALISTS AT NEWS CONFERENCE 0.59 4. (SOUNDBITE) (French) JEAN MARIE LE PEN SAYING "First of all, we want to renegotiate all the (European) treaties, estimating that the drift of the Maastricht Europe towards a globalizing Europe deprives our country of a fundamental constitutional element: its independence. We will remain friendly towards other European countries as well as towards the rest of the world, but we will not depart from the definition given by general De Gaulle: a country is a state, an army and a currency. This is exactly what we want France to remain." 1.55 5. MV JOURNALISTS AT NEWS CONFERENCE 1.59 6. (SOUNDBITE) (French) JEAN MARIE LE PEN SAYING "We will cancel the Schengen accord, that weakens our internal and external security, and restore border controls." 2.08 7. SLV JOURNALISTS AT NEWS CONFERENCE 2.11 8. (SOUNDBITE) (French) JEAN MARIE LE PEN SAYING "We will restore selective customs rights in order to deal with unfair competition from third countries who bear no social or employer charges for their production. We will refuse the euro as single currency and restore the franc, guarantee of our monetary sovereignty, of our independence and our stability. The euro will remain a common currency but not as the single one." 2.36 9. SLV JOURNALISTS AT NEWS CONFERENCE 2.45 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 12th May 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PARIS, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVAALTZTC8UK68EKNQ58APJ35KAP
  • Story Text: French far-right leader Jean Marie Le Pen has given a
    news conference during which he reaffirmed his commitment to
    fight for a renegotiation of the European Union treaties.

    Far right wing presidential candidate Jean Marie Le Pen
    on Friday (April 26) complained that "hooligans" had barred
    him from explaining his policies this week in Brussels, issued
    his list of European policy demands in Paris on Friday.

    Le Pen, who unexpectedly qualified for the May 5 runoff in
    France's presidential election, called off a news conference
    at the European Parliament on Wednesday when protesters with
    placards saying "Stop the Nazis" filled the room.

    Le Pen issued his list of European policy demands in Paris
    on Friday.

    Speaking to journalists at a news conference at his
    National Front party headquarters, Le Pen said: "First of
    all, we want to renegotiate all the [European} treaties,
    estimating that the drift of the Maastricht Europe towards a
    globalizing Europe deprives our country of a fundamental
    constitutional element: its independence. We will remain
    friendly towards other European countries as well as towards
    the rest of the world, but we will not depart from the
    definition given by general De Gaulle: a country is a state,
    an army and a currency. This is exactly what we want France to
    remain."
    The anti-European Union and anti-immigration candidate,
    whose surprise win in the first round of the presidential
    elections on Sunday (April 21), reaffirmed his commitment to
    take France's security in his hands, restore border controls
    and cancel the Schengen accords that allow nationals as well
    as foreigners to move freely within and across the signatory
    countries.

    Jean-Marie Le Pen said he would revive the French franc
    but also keep the euro single currency if he became president.

    "We will refuse the euro as single currency and restore
    the franc, guarantee of our monetary sovereignty, of our
    independence and our stability. The euro will remain a common
    currency, but not as the single one", he said.

    France ditched the franc for the euro, along with 11 other
    European Union countries, in January 2002.


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