US embassy cable - 03OTTAWA1474

UNCLAS OTTAWA 001474 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, CA, FR 
SUBJECT: CANADA-FRANCE: VISIT OF FRENCH PM RAFFARIN 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  HANDLE APPROPRIATELY. 
 
1.(SBU) DFAIT Director General for Western Europe Cecile 
Latour and Deputy Director Denis Robert characterized the 
brief (less than 24 hours) visit of French PM Raffarin to 
Ottawa as an unqualified success. The visit originally was 
conceived around Quebec's May 21-23 hosting of the annual 
meeting of Futurallia, an international business alliance 
(SME networking and "matchmaking") launched in Poitiers, 
France, in 1989. Raffarin apparently took a vivid interest in 
the development of Futurallia during his time as President of 
Poitou-Charente region. Though the focus of the visit was 
primarily bilateral cooperation in a number of areas -- 
including strong French interest in Canada as a model for 
"decentralization" of the government -- PM Chretien did 
commit to support a UN-led intervention in the Congo (a 
"small contribution"), should one come to pass. 
 
2.(U) In a joint communique on May 22, Raffarin and Chretien 
welcomed the UNSC resolution on Iraq reconstruction as a 
"credible framework" for mobilizing the international 
community to assist in reconstruction of Iraq. They affirmed 
the central role of the UN and Security Council in the 
"collective treatment of regional crises and in responding to 
the challenge posed by the risks of proliferation of weapons 
of mass destruction" and confirmed support for implementation 
of the MEPP Roadmap proposed by the diplomatic Quartet. The 
two PMs declared the importance of a "new-generation 
agreement" on Canadian trade and investment with the EU, and 
mutual commitment to bilateral efforts ensuring the success 
of the Doha Round.  They reaffirmed commitment to prioritize 
development in Africa through the G8 Africa Action Plan, as 
affirmed at the Kananaskis summit, and agreed to "further 
develop" dialogue on implementation of Kyoto Protocol 
commitments. 
 
3. (SBU) During the joint press conference on Thursday, 
Raffarin praised the UNSC resolution on Iraq reconstruction 
as a very promising sign for the future. He asserted France's 
solidarity with the U.S. -- particularly in the wake of the 
bombings in Riyadh and Morocco -- in combating terrorism and 
proliferation.  The francophone newspaper La Presse reported 
that while Chretien also saw the resolution as a positive 
development toward enabling Iraq to regain its autonomy, he 
nonetheless reiterated that he disagreed with the manner in 
which the U.S. had imposed its will on the situation, noting 
that this was "not the customary way to change a regime." 
KELLY