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February 18, 2005

Consul General of France addresses US-France relations

A handful of Fletcher Students had the opportunity on Thursday to speak informally with Thierry Vankerk-Hoven, the Boston-based Consul General of France. Thierry began his remarks by saying that “…the climate between France and the United States is one of cooperation.” Throughout the dialogue, Thierry worked to dispel popular misconceptions about the relations between the U.S. and France. A twenty-two year veteran of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thierry has seen his share of ups and downs in transatlantic relations.

Much to the astonishment of the students, he discounted notions of a continuing strained relationship between France and the US. Accordingly, he said that on the overwhelming majority of dossiers between the two countries, there is consensus. It was only on the issue of US intervention in Iraq, he claimed, that the administrations differed. This was the cause of a temporary rift between the two countries. He did acknowledge that while the French Government was divided, 95% of the public opinion in France was against any military intervention in Iraq.

To underscore his theme of public misconceptions, Thierry pointed out that French corporations are heavily invested in the United States. He also highlighted France’s decision to cooperate with United Nations resolution 1546, which calls for the reconstruction of Iraq. Furthermore, he claimed that France continually cooperates with the US in the war against terrorism in significant ways-- as a result of France’s 20-year history of dealing with Muslim terrorists networks. In Afghanistan, French and US soldiers work on the ground daily in the fight against Al Qaeda. Adding to the list, he noted US-French cooperation in the former Yugoslavia and Haiti. According to Thierry, it is incumbent on the media to underscore the many points of convergence between the United States and France to give a fairer portrayal of relations between the two countries.

According to Thierry, there are numerous pressing matters of concern that require a global concerted effort. Such matters include, the development of Sub- Saharan Africa, responses to pandemics such as HIV-AIDS, and a concerted effort to fight global warming. “France is ready to work with any coalition of willing government to address these,” explained Thierry.

When asked to comment on the Mid-east peace process, he asserted that France supports the creation of a Palestinian State and is intent on seeing peace in the region. Thierry also claimed that the large presence of Muslims in France would probably not be a major factor in French foreign policy.

Although he spoke primarily about France’s relations with the US, Thierry also touched on relations between the European countries and the relations between the EU and the US. On the latter he opined that having a President and Foreign Minister of the EU would go a long way in making the relations easier between the two countries, with regards to answering Kissinger’s rhetoric: when I want to call the EU, who do I call?

Catherine Switzer (MALD 05) gave her views of Thierry’s remarks about the EU: "As expected, the French Consul General responded diplomatically in relatively optimistic terms regarding EU-US transatlantic relations. He portrayed the EU as politically cohesive despite some differing views amongst some countries. Issues such as Turkey and Iraq may be points of disagreement between the EU and the US but nonetheless, it is in the common interest of the EU and US to support one another as historical allies."

Yevgeny Bendersky, a 2nd year MALD student, particularly welcomed the opportunity to throw off the formality that characterizes many lectures with visiting dignitaries. “I think the discussion was a great opportunity to speak to the Consul in a more relaxed environment…The Consul was relaxed enough to be forthcoming on some highly-charged and sensitive issues, which made the luncheon all the more interesting.”

Article by Joy-Dee Davis, MALD '05

Posted by jessica at February 18, 2005 12:41 PM