- Title: GERMANY: GERMANY AND FRANCE DECLARE STRONG SUPPORT FOR EU ENLARGEMENT.
- Date: 12th June 2001
- Summary: FREIBURG, GERMANY (JUNE 12, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV/PAN/GV: POLICEMEN IN STREET, PAN TO CONGRESS CENTRE, VENUE OF NEWS CONFERENCE/ WIDE OF NEWS CONFERENCE (2 SHOTS) 0.25 2. MV: HUBERT VEDRINE, FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER, AND JOSCHKA FISCHER, GERMAN COUNTERPART, EXCHANGING DOCUMENTS TO APPLAUSE OF LIONEL JOSPIN, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER, JACQUES CHIRAC, FRENCH PRESIDENT, AND GERHARD SCHROEDER, GERMAN CHANCELLOR 0.34 3. GV/PAN: PAN ACROSS JOURNALISTS 0.42 4. MV: SOUNDBITE (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR GERHARD SCHROEDER SAYING: "We have signed a joint French-German declaration regarding the referendum result in Ireland. You have it before you. It is obvious that we are anything but satisfied with it. Quite the opposite is true - we much regret it. We have stressed that the referendum result will not derail the process of (EU) enlargement. Quite the opposite is true.We will make sure that together with the Swedish presidency that enlargement becomes irreversible and wins new dynamism," 1.26 5. GV: MEMBERS OF MEDIA 1.29 6. MV: SOUNDBITE (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR GERHARD SCHROEDER SAYING: "We have made clear that we don't want the enlargement process damaged and that the Treaty of Nice cannot be revised and so we are assuming that the Nice Treaty wil stand as it is." 1.51 7. GV/PAN: MEMBERS OF MEDIA , PAN TO PODIUM 2.02 8. MV: SOUNDBITE (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC SAYING: "We have trust that the Union can overcome this hindrance. We have decided that enlargement, which is very important for Europe, should not suffer any delay - our object being, I repeat, to pursue the ratification procedures and pursue our determination to make sure that enlargement, which is fundamental for all Europe is not delayed in any way through this." 2.32 9. MV: SOUNDBITE (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC SAYING: "A few days ago our environment ministers were unaminous in maintaining this position- that will also be the position of the Gothenburg summit, I assume. And we will have the opportunity to speak about the matter with President Bush and work out how, with him, we can re-engage the process of Kyoto." 3.13 10. MV: SOUNDBITE (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC SAYING: "Then we discussed global security problems. Our American friends are proposing an anti-missile policy. We are not very enthusiastic about that project but we are ready and determined to enter a dialogue with the Americans which should make it possible to find a suitable response." 4.00 11. GV: WIDE VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE 4.05 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 27th June 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: FREIBURG, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVAA690SVYFZAMTLCNUPBP4FS6HV
- Story Text: Germany and France have put aside differences on
Europe's long-term future to declare strong support for EU
enlargement after Ireland's rejection of the treaty due to
launch eastward expansion.
Addressing a news conference after talks in the
southwest German town of Freiburg on Tuesday (June 12),
leaders of France and Germany said they regretted the Irish
referendum vote against the Nice Treaty but said it should not
be allowed to delay eastward European Union expansion.
The rejection of the treaty by 54 percent of Irish voters
has cast a cloud over an EU summit in Gothenburg, Sweden, to
start on Friday. The summit is expected to announce that
enlargement negotiations should be completed by the end of
2002.
"We will make sure that together with the Swedish
presidency enlargement becomes irreversible and wins new
dynamism," German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder told
journalists.
"We have made clear that we don't want the enlargement
process damaged and that the Treaty of Nice cannot be
revised", he added.
French President Jacques Chirac said he hoped that the EU
would make sure the Irish vote last week would not delay plans
to take in up to a dozen new members in coming years.
"We have trust that the Union can overcome this hindrance.
We have decided that enlargement, which is very important for
Europe, should not suffer any delay," he said.
After discord over EU reform between the two heavyweights
upset the last EU summit in Nice in December, the leaders
played down mounting differences between Paris and Berlin
about where Europe should go next.
With U.S. President George W. Bush in Europe for his first
official visit, the two sides also stressed their joint
commitment to the 1997 Kyoto accord on global warming. Bush
has rejected the accord and stressed efforts to promote the
non-proliferation of ballistic weapons in response to his
controversial plans for a missile shield.
Referring to the upcoming European Union summit in
Gothenburg later this week, Chirac said "we will have the
opportunity to discuss the issue with (U.S.) President (George
W.) Bush and find out how we and him can continue the Kyoto
process.
The Kyoto protocol commits signatories to targeted cuts in
their emissions of gases thought to cause global warming like
carbon dioxide that is produced by burning fossil fuels.
In a declaration on defence issued after the Franco-German
talks the leaders of these countries said they were worried
about the spread of ballistic weapons.
"France and Germany consider that the risks of ballistic
proliferation necessitate the reinforcement of the
multilateral instruments of non-proliferation," read the
declaration.
It said Paris and Berlin wanted European Union leaders,
meeting for a summit in Sweden from Friday, to adopt a joint
position on the fight against such weapons which could lead to
an international conference on non-proliferation.
Chirac made such a call in a keynote speech on defence
last week saying Bush's desire to build a missile shield could
not be the only response to the threat of nuclear
proliferation.
Bush, who arrived in Madrid on Tuesday, is due to hold
talks with his NATO partners in Brussels on Wednesday. He has
urged the creation of a shield to protect the United States
and its allies against weapons fired from "rogue" states.
But many European leaders have been wary of the plan,
fearing it could lead to a new arms race and rupture
anti-proliferation treaties like the 1972 Anti-Ballistic
Missile
(ABM) treaty between Washington and Moscow.
The Franco-German declaration welcomed Washington's
efforts to discuss its plans with its European allies and said
it hoped consultation would continue and EU members would
coordinate closely on it.
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