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Le Monde; France
Topic Started: Feb 28 2014, 01:39 AM (655 Views)
Jos1311
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Jos1311
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Local and European election results will force Hollande to adjust course, analysts say
October 2014

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PARIS | France -- According to French political analysts French President Francois Hollande will need to reshuffle his cabinet after his Socialist Party was trounced in both the European and local elections. The analysts added that the President could assign a new Prime Minister, while the overall course of his government could also be adjusted.

While the local elections in March 2014 did not result in major changes, the negative results in the second elections this year, those for the European Parliament, will make it all but impossible for Hollande to continue his current course, most political analysts agree.

Voters punished the government for many of the issues that France is facing at the moment, with the majority of the support going towards former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP Party and the anti-euro National Front of Marine Le Pen also gained significant ground. Many have already stated that the National Front should no longer be considered a small party, but that it should be considered one of the leading political parties in France due to its recent political gains.

“Let’s not beat around the bush; the past half year has been a difficult road,” Claude Bartolone, the Socialist head of the French national assembly, said to Radio France. He pointed out that in the past half year the Socialist not failed to win seats in Europe, and become only the third party in those elections, but also elaborated that the local elections of March saw the Socialists and their allies get 40.6 percent of the vote nationwide, while the UMP and their allies got 45.9 percent and Le Pen’s National Front got 6.8 percent. "This clearly indicates that France is demanding a course change, a matter that we will need to discuss internally now," Bartolone stated.

Analysts believe that the bad results achieved by the Socialists can be attributed to several factors. "For one the failure of the left to mobilize its supporters, has played a role," one analysts said. Adding that there also is considerable discontent over Hollande’s government apparent inability to rekindle France’s sluggish economy. "These factors seem to have played the biggest part in the two elections that saw the Socialists lose votes and influence," the analyst further added.
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Jos1311
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Beleaguered Hollande vows 'new chapter' for France, as he appoints Valls as new Prime Minister
October 2014

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PARIS | France -- France's Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault resigned a day after rumours emerged following the Socialist Party losses in the recent elections. Manuel Valls was named as France's new Prime Minister shortly after the news of the resignation was confirmed. Spanish-born Valls, who has been compared with Tony Blair, is believed to be popular with the public, but far less in his own party.

He has feuded with fellow ministers and is regularly brushed with controversy, but France's new Prime Minister Manuel Valls is one of the country's most popular politicians. As approval ratings plummeted for the rest of France's Socialist government over the course of its first two years in office, the good-looking interior minister was almost alone in defying the trend.

A natural in front of the television cameras, the Barcelona-born 51-year-old has won respect from voters across the political spectrum with a tough-talking style, particularly on the issues of crime and insecurity. His style and his politics have drawn comparisons with former British premier Tony Blair, which is far from being a compliment for many in the Socialist Party, in which Valls sometimes appears to be something of a misfit.

Valls came under heavy fire last year October following the deportation of a 15-year-old Roma girl and her family to Kosovo, after she was taken off a bus in the middle of a school trip. Accusing police of humiliating the girl and violating her rights, critics rounded on Valls, with some even demanding his resignation.

But polls showed that the overwhelming majority of voters backed Valls in that row and he retained the confidence of Hollande, with whom he is personally close.

Friends acknowledge the abrasiveness, but also highlight a warmer and charismatic side to his personality.

"He says things with a certain honesty, a certain clearness, and yes, sometimes a certain roughness," Alain Bauer, a prominent French criminologist and friend of Valls since their student days.. "He has vitality, dynamism, energy -- and that rallies people around him."

A survey for Elle magazine last year revealed one in five French ladies liked the idea of a "torrid affair" with the twice-married minister - a finding that delighted his glamorous second wife, the professional violinist Anne Gravoin. "Manuel absolutely deserves it - and a lot more besides," she said at the time. "He's a very loveable man."

Although he does not encourage the comparison, Valls shares some of Blair's political instincts, frequently defining himself in opposition to dearly held positions of his own party. Neither does the father of four fit the mould of the typical French politician in terms of background and education.

The son of a Catalan artist who left Spain during the dictatorship of General Franco, Valls only obtained French nationality at the age of 20. He did not attend the elite ENA university that produced Hollande and many other members of the French political elite.

After joining the Socialist Party as a student, Valls made a name for himself as one of the most vocal reformers in the party, at one point even suggesting the word "Socialist" be dropped from its name.

He angered many in the party by attacking some of its sacred cows, including the 35-hour work week. On economic policy, his thinking is influenced by the pro-business, flexible approach of the most recent generation of Scandinavian Social Democrats -- a world away from the radical neo-Keynesianism of the left of the Socialist Party.

After a series of parliamentary and party posts, Valls was elected mayor of the tough multicultural Paris suburb of Evry in 2001 and to the National Assembly a year later. He remained a party outsider, derided by many as a closet right-winger with a reputation for being difficult to work with.

Undeterred, Valls ran in the 2011 Socialist presidential primary but scored a lowly six percent, eventually throwing his support behind Hollande and running the future president's campaign communications.

When Hollande took office last year, Valls was rewarded with the interior minister's post. He immediately made waves by continuing the previous government's contentious policy of dismantling camps belonging to Roma migrants from eastern Europe.

He clashed with Justice Minister Christiane Taubira over penal reforms he regards as soft on crime and triggered an outcry by saying Roma migrants living rough should be "delivered back to the borders" because they would never assimilate. Even some of his cabinet colleagues suggested that comment was racist, but, bolstered by surging poll ratings, Valls refused to apologise and Hollande stood by him. Perhaps the president knew he would one day have need of him.

And that day appears to have come now. As many political analysts have called the decision to replace Jean-Marc Ayrault with Valls as logical. "Hollande, following the bad results needed to react to the situation, and the appointment of a popular politician seems only logical. However with Valls he also assigns a politician who is not afraid to take a different stance than the Socialist Party to a position of power. President Hollande is certainly taking a risk with the appointment as well," one analysts said.

Beleaguered President François Hollande told the nation he had heard their "clear message" as he vowed to open a "new chapter" for France after the recent calamities.
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Used articles from The Local as basis
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IrieLub
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Hollande addresses deployment to Syria
Issues Ultimatum, warns of Resolve
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"Ladies and Gentlemen;

Over the past 48 hours, reports have come to my attention that express the dire situation in Syria. As I speak to you today, an all out assault is taking place on the Syrian City of Homs by forces loyal to the former President of Syria, Bashar Al-Assad against those fighting against his tyrannical regime. Since the beginning of this war, we have looked on to watch Bashar Al-Assad use chemical weapons against his own people, lay waste to his own cities and commit hideous crimes against humanity all the while being supported by foreign powers and foreign weapons. The west, time and time again has pledged support for those fighting against Al-Assad and yet we have yet to take real concrete steps. While at one point it looked as though the US would take lead and begin Air strikes against the forces of Bashar Al-Assad, this was averted by a last minute deal which has been torn up by those loyal to this dictator.

Now as Ukraine lay in crisis and the situation on the Korean peninsula takes shape, many seek to turn a blind eye to the war which without any kind of pressure will end in a victory for loyalist forces. The rebels that took up arms in hopes of a free Syria, believing in the dream that we in the west speak all the time about, the dream of living free and without fear from ones own government are now losing hope, feeling embarrassed and abandoned. A Impending sense of doom has overtaken there will to fight after months of non-stop assaults and air strikes. There is no one there to give them a fighting chance.

Yes, while many seek to allow the war to take it's own course, including many of our own NATO allies. It would be against the very spirit of the French Republic and our values to turn our backs and allow Bashar Al-Assad a continued pass to slaughter those fighting for a fee republic . Therefor, I have ordered a French Task Force to sail with orders to position itself in International waters outside of Syria. The Foreign ministry has been ordered to alert representatives of Bashar Al-Assad that they have a 48 hour ultimatum to halt all advances on Homs or else face tactical air strikes by elements of the French Military. Directions have been given to Anti-Assad forces to in turn honor such a ceasefire if Assad's Forces have in exchange for French support.

It is our Intention to force Al-Assad into a new round of Intensive diplomatic talks with opposition as well as solidifying a united opposition force. Should Mr. Al-Assad heed our warning and commit to a cease fire, French strikes can be avoided...Should it fail allow me to make French resolve in this matter clear to him and to any other foreign power that would seek to militarily oppose us. France is ready and willing to go ahead with comprehensive strikes on Syria whether Syria is supported by another power or not. It is my hope that with this new sign of concrete support a sense of revitalization overcome those opposing Assad, France is with you.

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AllenKalashnikov

French President Talks About Iraq
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Ladies and gentlemen,

I am addressing the world today to say that airstrikes in the Republic of Iraq have been successful and that the resulting loss of life due to the air strikes is regrettable however with the use of human shields by ISIS such loss was impossible to avoid. the majority of the loss of life came from Isis using an apartment block with in Iraq as the headquarters as well as the building next to it being a stronghold / supply cache. The us-led joint American French task force took every available option to avoid unnecessary loss of life, as that being said the French government would like to officially apologize for the civilian casualties sustained during the raids.

now we would like to address the comments issued by our colleagues in the United Kingdom. no target whatsoever within the national borders of Syria has been struck by either American or French forces, now with that out of the way we would like to return reiterate that these are strikes are in no way shape or form in support of any particular faction involed in the secular split in Iraq. This is purely an attempt to destroy the terrorist group known as ISIS. In the coming days the French military will review the mission results and adjust our policy accordingly to help minimize further the loss of life.
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Jos1311
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French troops 'kill several' ex-Seleka during CAR clashes
Situation to reheat after months of low violence?

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BANGUI | Central African Republic (December 2016) -- French peacekeepers killed several militiamen after they came under attack while on patrol in the Central African Republic, an officer with the African peacekeeping force said Tuesday.

Backed by war planes, the French troops opened fire using heavy weapons on gunmen from the former rebel movement Seleka, who attacked them when they entered the northern town of Batangafo on Monday, the officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Several ex-Seleka fighters were killed, he added without saying whether there were any French casualties. "The clash lasted for hours and loud explosions frightened many residents who fled to the bush," the officer said.

In the past weeks at least 22 people were killed in clashes in Batangafo between the Seleka and the rival anti-balaka militia, according to African peacekeepers who are working with the French.

Batangafo lies in the district of Ouham, home of former president Francois Bozize, who was overthrown by the Seleka rebels in March 2013.

The mostly Muslim Seleka carried out a campaign of violence against the majority Christian community in the following months, prompting the creation of the anti-balaka militia.

Fighting between the rival groups has plunged the country into a cycle of brutal sectarian violence that has left thousands of people dead and hundreds of thousands displaced, with almost the entire Muslim community abandoning the capital Bangui and other parts of the country.

While the developments had been positive in the last eighteen months, analysts have warned that Muslims are becoming increasingly critical of French and UN forces in the country. Which, according to one source, they see as biased. "As a result of this the situation seems to be heating up again, and something will need to happen to prevent further escalation," the source said.

Currently there are still some 1,000 French troops in the African country, alongside 3,500 African Union troops and 1,200 soldiers from other countries, including 400 Chinese and 300 German troops.
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Jos1311
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Britain will not be allowed to have its "Europe à la carte"
Renewed debate on how to handle the British renegotiation request of its European membership

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PARIS | France (December 2016) -- French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius warns that leaving the EU would be dangerous for both Britain and Europe, but says the rules of the game cannot be changed half way through.

Mr. Fabius told France Info radio that there could be no "Europe à la carte", in which a country picked which rules applied to it. Adding that Philippe Étienne, the permanent representative of France to the European Union, has made this abundantly clear to London as well.

He warned that Britain could not simply change the terms of its membership, stating that such would be a grave threat to stability and continuity. "Imagine Europe is a football club. You join the football club, but once you are in, you cannot say, 'let's play rugby'," Mr. Fabius told the host of the radio show.

Mr. Fabius said that he had would "roll out the red carpet" for British businessmen, if Britain wants to leave Europe. Warning that the economic consequences for Britain would be considerable. A conclusions shared by most experts, albeit not by most Euro-sceptics.

Next year Britain will be granted its long-desired referendum on whether to stay in the European Union or leave, a choice that many Britons most likely make with the heart rather than with their minds. "Many people are very sceptical over Europe," Mr. Fabius said, adding that "obviously Europe has had difficulties, and changes will need to be implemented. I advise Britain to refocus, not on becoming a peripheral country on the edge of Europe, because that will be damaging to long-term prospects of British business and also in the country's ability to attract new international companies to set up and employ people in the country."

According to Mr. Fabrius Britain needs to be constructive, and he extended the invitation to London to get together with Berlin and Paris in order to lead the further improvement of Europe.
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French police on alert after celebrations over Hamas victory in Palestinian elections
Issue of banlieues to become an important topic during French elections, say analysts

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PARIS | France (January 2017) -- In various cities throughout France the "victory" of Hamas at the Palestinian elections was celebrated in the suburbs, or banlieues. Although in general the celebrations had a relatively mild character, there were reports of arrests and violence at some locations.

In Paris the police stated that at least seven people had been arrested for carrying and waving Hamas flags, which was seen as a provocation by the police, while others were arrested for burning Israeli flags. "All people have been arrested for disturbing the police," said one spokesperson. Who refrained to comment on reports that in some areas tensions were considerable.

Some older inhabitants go back to 2005, when rioting rocked various banlieues, a grim reminder that although the situation has gotten a little better, the exclusion and alienation of France’s blighted housing projects remains and could, if the conditions are right, again explode in violence. France remains a seriously divided country. And despite billions spent on housing renovation and infrastructure improvement in some of France’s worst neighbourhoods, the risk of escalation has declined, but is still there, analysts warn. "As long as the gap between mainstream society and its blighted banlieues remains as it is, the risk will not go away," said one inhabitant of Clichy-sous-Bois.

No one in France contests that a more widespread affluence would quell the eruptions of violence like that seen in the past. But that would involve more faces from the ghetto turning up in predominantly white work places — and an educational and behavioural effort by defiant and angry project youths to qualify for and land good jobs and living arrangements. Too much change, compromise and potential loss are involved on both sides of the socio-economic divide for that to happen, so until that changes France remains trapped in a ritual of mutual accusation of just who’s preventing the needed surge of integration.

This however could now be changing, as the issue of the banlieues could become one of the main issues of the upcoming elections.

In a small office in the suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois, a group of mostly Arab and African 20-somethings hit on an idea: Create a "crisis ministry of the suburbs." It would address France's ignorance about the 731 areas ringing the country's biggest cities, known officially as "urban sensitive zones," where most of France's non-European minorities live. Politicians belonging to the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and Socialist Party (PS) are listing intently to the group of young Arabs and African.

The group after the presentation answers questions of the politicians and goes into a debate with them. "For the first time we all are getting the idea that they are really listening to our ideas," one of the group told local newspapers. "In the past we were just ignored and nobody would turn up at a presentation like this, but something might actually be changing," he added.

The suburb residents are mostly Arab or African, often Muslim and poor, with one-third of them living below the poverty line. Some are immigrants, but increasingly they are second- and third-generation immigrants, descended from guest workers who arrived in the 1960s and '70s. Thirty-nine percent of the residents are under age 25, and youth unemployment tops 40 percent (compared to 20 percent and 19 percent, respectively, nationwide).
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