Ammon News - By Banan Malkawi
AMMONNEWS - France has taken a supportive stance towards Arab revolutions since the onset on the Arab Spring, taking a keen interest in supporting the just demands of populations for dignity, human rights, and individual and public freedoms, the French Envoy to Jordan said.
France's Ambassador to Jordan Caroline Dumas said during a meeting with journalists at her residence in Amman on Thursday that France's position towards Arab developments is to support the institutionalization process that aims to react and achieve the "just demands and aspirations of the peoples."
On the occasion of the French National Day (Bastille Day), celebrated annually on July 14th, Ambassador Dumas highlighted France's role in initiating dialogue with transitional governments in Arab Spring countries such as Tunisia and Egypt, encouraging them to embark on fair and transparent elections and building institutions that respect human rights, citizenship, pluralism, and policies that engage all political forces and guarantees comprehensive representation.
Highlighting her own country's experience with a lengthy and windy process towards democratization, Dumas noted that the French people experienced the "ups and downs" of the revolutionary process themselves, taking them over a century from the launch of the French Revolution in 1789 until democratic institutions, universal suffrage, and stability in the country were achieved.
"The revolutionary process is long, complicated, and packed with revolutions and counter-revolutions," Dumas said in denoting that it wasn't until 1880 that the French people adopted July 14th as France's National Day, dubbing it "Bastille Day" to recognize that it is the "people" who are the nectar and the heart of the revolution and its ideals.
On Bastille Day, France marks its efforts towards democracy with both military parades and populist celebrations, Dumas noted, stressing that "there is no contradiction between the military and the populist festivities because the military is the one supposed to protect and be a representative of the people," Dumas added.
On developments in countries such as Egypt and Syria, Dumas stressed that France continues to base its policies on values it espouses based on its own revolution, which include a comprehensive political process, democratic ideals and respect for human rights.
"As long as institutions meet these demands and aspirations, they deserve to be supported," the French envoy said in reference to her country's position towards developments in the Arab world.
On events in Egypt and Syria, She highlighted that her country called for a comprehensive political process that champions human rights and guarantees the participation and representation of all political forces.
She noted however that despite attempts to engage both the regime and the opposition in Syria in the early days of the conflict in a direct dialogue, yet the situation today has become much more difficult as Syrians are facing a "deadly regime."
Dumas said that France aspires along with the United States, Russia, and Arab "Friends of Syria" nations, to bring the Syrian opposition and regime to dialogue in the framework of an international conference (Geneva II) which would follow up on the recommendations of the Geneva I convention.
She noted that France recognizes and appreciates Jordan's humanitarian role in hosting Syrian refugees, who have topped 600,000, and shares Jordan's political stance towards a "political" solution to the ongoing crisis in the neighboring country.
Dumas highlighted the recent visit by French President Francois Hollande to Jordan in June, in which he held "positive and fruitful" meetings with King Abdullah II and senior Jordanian officials.
Hollande stressed during his visit that France shares Jordan's aspiration to overcome the obstacles on the way to Geneva II convention to reach a political solution.
Regarding France's position towards providing arms supplies to Syrian opposition forces, Dumas noted that her country has one condition; that is for opposition factions to clarify their relationship with extremist groups.
Hollande announced during his visit that France will provide an additional 50 million Euros in assistance to Jordan's budget in addition to various French humanitarian assistance provided directly to Syrian refugees in host countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey.
Dumas, who was appointed as France's Ambassador to Jordan back in February, presented an overview of French humanitarian role in supporting Syrian refugees at camps in Jordan, including a field military hospital, food supplies, and direct assistance through international organizations such as the UNHCR and the World Food Program, with an aim to alleviate the burden carried by Jordanian armed forces and humanitarian organizations to meet the living and health demands of refugees.
On the relationship between France and Jordan, Dumas stressed that the two countries continue to enjoy positive bilateral relations and share common grounds and stances towards domestic and regional issues.
France is an important and strategic partner with Jordan on the economic level, Dumas noted, highlighting that France remains the biggest foreign investor in Jordan, with substantial investments in the fields of water, energy, telecommunications, retail, and other sectors, investments totaling more than one billion Euros.
She noted that France has been heavily invested in vital sectors in Jordan for over a decade since the privatization and liberalization process in Jordan, citing the example of the telecommunications company Orange, Cement company Lafarge, fuel provider Total, the French multinational retailer Carrefour, and French companies working in the Disi water conveyance project, among others.
"These investments are indicators of the French trust in Jordan's prospects for development and investment, and manifest that French companies recognize that they operate in a positive market environment," Dumas said.
"These investments are the best indicator of the true partnership between the two countries in the economic field," she added.
France also provides various financial assistance packages to Jordan through grants and low-interest soft loans, and supports Jordanian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with loans and enterprise development.
France and Jordan also enjoy strong bilateral relations in the fields of culture and education as well, Dumas said, underscoring the launch of cultural and educational institutes, such as the French Institute in Amman since the 1960's, aimed to strengthen cultural, language, and educational ties between the two countries.
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