The Hindu : India has a major role: French PM

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Monday, Feb 03, 2003

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India has a major role: French PM

By Vaiju Naravane

PARIS FEB. 2. Excerpts from an exclusive interview with the French Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, conducted by The Hindu's Paris Correspondent, Vaiju Naravane.

Question: Prime Minister Raffarin, would it be right to say that France has made a strategic choice in favour of India? What do you expect this visit to yield?

Jean-Pierre Raffarin: This is a choice that personally involves the President of the Republic, Jacques Chirac. Since I was appointed Prime Minister, the President insisted that I make India my first major trip. So it's a clear choice, a visit to India only — not part of a larger trip to the region — that speaks of our conviction that India has a major role to play in the world today. It also underlines the importance we give to the development of our relations. At the highest level, we wish to develop a strategic partnership with India. My personal objective is to deepen our ties, particularly in the economic and commercial fields. I am accompanied by a high-level delegation that includes the head of MEDEF, French business leaders' association. If we are to change stereotyped perceptions of each other, communication is vital as are exchanges among civil society. We must make the realities of the two countries known. Official relations cannot replace the vitality of links between two peoples. The proof lies in the success of recent films like `Lagaan' or `Monsoon Wedding.' I also believe in student exchanges. We have significantly increased bursaries for Indian students and researchers and there are plans for a programme under which the French and the Indian artistes can live in each other's countries.

What message would you like your visit to deliver?

I would like a better understanding of India by the French media and businessmen. Beyond this visit, I would like concrete projects to see the light of day.

How do you account for the baffling lag in the political and economic ties between the two countries?

The political leadership has to do its work. Which is why I am accompanied by several top-level businessmen, elected officials and cultural personalities. With 180 French companies operating in India, I would not say our presence is negligible. However, France is a traditional country and has woken up late to the need to globalise, to reach out. Cultural differences also act as a brake. Although there is genuine affection and fascination for your culture it appears too complex, too distant and we have to build bridges. One of the strong points of my visit will be the opening of the `Season of France' in India which will be a window on what the French companies have to offer.

In the defence sector, what type of contracts and sales is France proposing to India?

With India, we are developing a defence relationship based on mutual confidence and good understanding. Our industrialists are tying up partnerships with the Indian armaments industry to develop joint projects, especially in the aeronautic and naval sectors. I have confidence in the future development of this cooperation.

There is a perception in India that the West practises double standards, making a difference between local and international terrorism. Even if France condemns terrorist acts in Jammu and Kashmir, it is seen as being soft on the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf.

Let us be clear. France firmly condemns terrorist acts and their authors, whatever their motivations. France has been hit hard by terrorism and we have no complacency towards perpetrators of such barbarous acts. Eleven of our compatriots were killed in an attack in Karachi last year... We share this combat with India. We support the Indian proposal for a convention against terrorism and have been working together since 2001. Pakistan has made commitments to fight terrorism. It is in its interest and its responsibility to respect these commitments, whether it concerns internal terrorism or the use of its territory for attacks elsewhere.

You will be in India when (the U.S. Secretary of State) Gen. Powell makes his speech before the Security Council. How would you describe the French position on Iraq?

I cannot enunciate the French position before it has been adopted. There is no happy war and quick wars are rare. So we are alerting decision-makers that there are other means, besides war, of dealing with the disarmament of Iraq. We feel that war has serious consequences, that the region is extremely fragile and that it is necessary to have a multi-polar vision of international balance of forces. As for France, we have every intention of retaining our autonomy. We shall weigh the arguments the U.S. has to offer and decide on our position and if that happens when I am in India, I shall express my thoughts then.

With reference to the letter signed by nine European leaders supporting the U.S. position on Iraq, do you think the Franco-German alliance frightens your European partners? Does European disunity sadden you?

There is certain sadness because I would like us to be more united. I don't think the Franco-German alliance frightens our partners, but it's the same old story. When the Franco-German marriage fails to work, Europe stagnates, and when it works it stimulates the others. We are in a phase of European stimulation. That's legitimate. We stand on the eve of major changes in Europe. It's a moment when Europe is expressing itself in all its diversity, with the Franco-German couple giving the impression that it wants to lead the pack. That's not our intention. The divergence over Iraq is a reflection of the 20th century, rather than the 21st century Europe. I think the new Europe will have a different face, a different approach. Today, the European president changes every six months, there is a dispersal of responsibilities that makes for incoherence. The day Britain joins the Euro Zone, the day we have an elected president and a Constitution, Europe will be more sure of its own future and less dependent on its external partners.

In France, is there a feeling of fear towards Islam?

Islam is the second religion in France and my Government has acted so that it finds its place in the nation's community. Prejudice fed by ignorance subsists, but I decry those who speak of an inevitable clash of civilisations.

There is growing extremism everywhere. Does Hindu nationalism worry you?

France is extremely sensitive to the extraordinary lesson of tolerance India carries in her. The figure of Mahatma Gandhi, the spirit of non-violence with its ancient roots are at the basis of India's democracy and continue to inspire those fighting for peace and freedom. The secular nature of the Indian State is part of this historical process which gives India the prestige and authority it enjoys today. These are the values on which we have built the partnership between our two countries. I have full confidence in the authorities and people of India to avoid the dangers and pitfalls of all forms of extremism and fundamentalism.

Prime Minister, one of the factors that casts a slur on France's reputation as a great humanist society is the question of immigration and racial tensions.

That is a problem. Traditionally, we have had an open society. But proof that our policy of integration had failed became clear when French youth born of immigrant parents booed the national anthem during a France-Algeria football match. They did it because they did not feel part of the French society. We have now decided to introduce new policies not only on immigration and asylum but also on integration. When someone adopts the French nationality, it must be a wholehearted gesture. France was not used to this racial and cultural and religious mixing, intermingling. But today, Islam is the country's second religion and the question is not do we open our door. It is how do we integrate those who are here. We are taking new measures so that the country accepts these inter-racial, inter-cultural realities in the best traditions of Republican France.

How do you see the question of immigration and what sort of policies should Europe adopt?

The problems posed by immigration must be dealt with responsibly and humanely. Europe, because of its economy, employment opportunities and resources, has become an attractive destination for migratory flows. Most immigrants come here legally but several others come in illegally, often with the help of human traffickers. While it is our duty to welcome legal immigrants with a well thought-out policy of integration, we are also determined to fight illegal immigration and trafficking. France plays an important role in discussions at the European level because there has to be a joint strategy on this question.

Prime Minister, what makes you tick?

A mission. I believe in President Chirac's vision, I participated actively in the strategy behind his election which resulted in this mission. So I have a certain number of goals to achieve, reforms to carry out. I am active, alert, mobilised but also serene.

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