Embassy of the United States

Speeches and Op-Eds 2008

Conference Olivaint, France-Amériques, The U.S. and France: The Renewal of an Enduring Alliance

January 16, 2008

Thank you for that kind introduction, Mr. Kirov.  I am happy to meet tonight with distinguished members of a promising French generation, here at France-Amériques. 

Your student association, La Conférence Olivaint, plays an essential role linking rising stars with the makers and shapers of France’s policies across the spectrum of politics, economics, and culture.  I am very pleased to be here. 

Americans understand and value a basic fact of our 231-year history – France is our oldest, and in many ways, best friend in the world. Revolutionary America and Revolutionary France were born of the great ideas of the 18^th century Enlightenment.

France was America’s first ally when we fought to liberate ourselves from the British Empire.  Our most famous painting in the U.S. Capitol depicts General George Washington accepting Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown, and we would have never triumphed in that epic battle had the French not marched with us.

And our fates were inextricably intertwined in the twentieth century when our countries fought on the same side in two world wars and then during the long struggle to defeat Communism.  We have worked together to promote peace, stability, and democracy – for well over 200 years.

As Foreign Minister Kouchner reminded us when he visited Washington last September, what the U.S. and France sometimes find frustrating about each other are not our differences but the fact that we are so much alike.

Like siblings, we can -- and do -- disagree. We had a great disagreement, for example, when President Charles de Gaulle removed France from NATO’s Integrated Military Command Structure in 1966.  We also disagreed over our policies toward Iraq in 2002 and 2003. 

But we have an old and secure friendship that allows us to speak honestly as friends.  Even through our most heated moments, we continued to work quietly together to combat terrorism in Europe and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in Iran, to build stability in the Balkans, to build peace in Lebanon, and to combat the Taliban and build a stable democracy in Afghanistan.  We work together bilaterally, as NATO allies, and as fellow permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

As we meet here in Paris at the beginning of the New Year, the Franco-American friendship and alliance is secure, strong and vital.  We are definitely entering a dynamic new era in U.S.-France relations, an era full of potential and positive energy.

From a global perspective, we have no greater ally on the great issues of our time – Iran, Iraq, Darfur, Burma, Lebanon, Kosovo, climate change – than France.

The United States welcomes France’s commitment to work together to find common solutions to shared challenges.  And we are ready to meet France every step of the way.  Our U.S.-France Alliance is grounded in a dynamic European Union, and a NATO that effectively meets the security challenges of the 21st century.

The U.S. shares France’s support for an engaged European Union, and welcomes France’s expressions of support for a strong NATO.

We are very pleased that President Sarkozy has explicitly stressed that the EU and NATO are complementary – and not competing – institutions.

In September, the German Marshall Fund released a report that showed that Americans and Europeans agree on the major threats in the world today.  The vast majority of those polled also said they want to see Europe and the U.S. act together to tackle the world’s problems.

And there are many things Europe and America should be able to accomplish together in 2008.  Here are some priorities:

In Afghanistan, France is contributing to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force.  This is an essential mission for peace in South Asia and it may continue for many years to come.

President Sarkozy, during his recent visit to Afghanistan, re-iterated France's commitment to staying the course until Afghanistan achieves stability and democracy.

We welcome France’s recent announcement to send an additional mentoring and training teams to support NATO forces in southern Afghanistan. 

We also appreciate French leadership in the EU's decision to help train Afghan police. The EU, along with the United States, provides substantial reconstruction and development assistance in Afghanistan.

While there is still a long way to go, our commitment should not falter. We have accomplished a great deal.  We have witnessed a nation’s emergence from the brutal Taliban regime.  The Afghan economy is growing.  There is a constitution.  There is an elected government.  We must continue to help strengthen the Afghan state, support its institutions and build on the security and reconstruction already in place.

Iran is a major issue in our relationship.

Last October, the U.S. announced new financial sanctions against Iran’s government agencies and banks that finance the nuclear industry and Iran’s supply of arms to the Middle East’s most vicious terrorist groups – Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Taliban.

These sanctions are designed to strengthen our international diplomatic effort to deny Iran a nuclear capability.  They are designed to help diplomacy succeed and to avoid a situation in the future where we are left with only one option.

Conflict with Iran is not inevitable.  It is not desirable.  We wish, instead, to see negotiations succeed.  We wish a peaceful outcome of this dispute, but only strong diplomacy will get us there.

We are also working together on the historic effort to produce a peace between Israel and the Palestinian people. President Bush's visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories this past week demonstrated U.S. commitment to do everything possible to bring about a peaceful, two-state resolution to the conflict.

The United States and France share a vision of a democratic Palestinian state, and a democratic Israel, living side by side in peace and security, and are working together toward this goal.

Let us also not forget Iraq.  Although the French government at the time disagreed with the U.S. decision to go into Iraq, today we share common goals for Iraq: a stable, secure, democratic society, with territorial integrity, a growing economy, and no dependence on foreign forces for its long-term security.

Helping the Iraqi government achieve these objectives is extremely difficult and dangerous work given the number of armed groups aiming to stop such progress.  But the Iraqi people deserve help, and we must all act in whatever ways we can to support them.

In Burma, the world is watching a courageous fight for freedom to unfold. As Foreign Minister Kouchner’s visit highlighted, the international community needs to keep the spotlight focused on the Burmese regime.

We support increased engagement by the U.N. in Burma. We advocate for tougher sanctions on the Burmese regime, including by the European Union.

Closer to home, in Europe, France and the United States are both trying to find a solution to Kosovo's future status, and this is an area where President Sarkozy has already had an impact.  Following his proposal at the G8 Summit, we launched the final effort to reach agreement between the parties, that ended on December 10.

Unfortunately, the parties did not find an agreement on Kosovo’s future.  As a result, our view – and that of France – is that the Ahtisaari plan that calls for supervised independence for Kosovo is the only outcome compatible with long term stability in the Balkans.  The future of Kosovo is the key piece of unfinished business in the region.

When this process is completed, the region will finally be able to look forward to a future based on peace, democracy, market economy, rising prosperity, and integration into NATO and the European Union.

Our work as partners in multilateral forums like NATO and the United Nations Security Council succeeds because the U.S., France, and Europe share common goals and values.

There will, of course, be differences between us.  Friends do not always agree.  As President Sarkozy himself said, “I feel free to express our agreements and disagreements forthrightly and candidly – precisely because I fully embrace the fact that France is a friend and an ally of the United States.”

We Americans could not agree more.  Let’s continue the dialogue. Let’s keep working together. This is the spirit which has sustained our alliance for two centuries, and that will continue to motivate and guide us for the years and decades to come.  

Unfortunately, I will have to leave before the end of this event tonight, but I am happy to take your questions now, and I am sure you will have an interesting discussion with my colleague, Will Owen.

Thank you.