Joe Biden in Paris to reaffirm US support of France in Mali
Source: RFI
Published on: Monday, February 4, 2013 - Updated on: Monday, February 4, 2013
The U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill, on their arrival at Orly airport, February 3, 2013.
François Hollande receives Joe Biden on Monday, February 4 at the Elysee. The French President and the U.S. Vice President will address key topics, in the first place, the conflict in Mali. Joe Biden renewed support of the United States to the French military intervention, support carefully weighed.
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It is this vice president to whom Barack Obama has given the task of representing him on this trip to meet those Washington has called the "oldest friends and closest allies" of the United States: Germany, Great Britain and France.
In Paris, Joe Biden is especially reaffirming support of the United States to France "for its intervention in Mali." On the material level, this support is real: Washington provides information, logistics and air refueling of fighter aircraft French. But a few days ago, the White House did not hide its skepticism about operation Serval, fearing that France has not prepared a plan to end the conflict in which it might get stuck.
The United States emphasizes the importance of an immediate deployment of the African Mission in charge of supporting the French troops, and the need to quickly organize free and democratic elections in Mali.
Read more: http://www.rfi.fr/france/20130204-joe-biden-paris-reaffirmer-le-soutien-etats-unis-france-mali
Joe and Jill Biden will have lunch with French President François Hollande this afternoon at the Elysee, the presidential residence in Paris. It's 8:36 a.m. there now. Translation via Google.
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Last edited Mon Feb 4, 2013, 04:41 AM - Edit history (1)
But yeah Joe is having a great trip. Good news out of Munich which he just left, too:
Iran welcomes Biden’s Nuclear talks offer as ‘positive’
Munich, Feb 3:
Iran today responded positively to US Vice-President Joe Biden’s offer to hold direct negotiations with the authorities in Teheran over the country’s contested nuclear programme, but demanded the West to stop building up pressure on the country.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akhbar Salehi, who was eagerly awaited at the 49th Munich Security Conference, welcomed Biden’s statement as “positive” and as a “step forward”.
However, he repeated his country’s position that it will be prepared for negotiations with the US only when they take place on an “equal basis”.
“Unfortunately, every time we have negotiated, it was the other side which did not adhere to its commitments,” Salehi told around 400 delegates on the final day of the three—day conference.
Addressing the conference yesterday, Biden said the Obama administration is prepared to hold direct negotiations with Iran to end the stand-off over its nuclear programme if the Iranian leadership takes them seriously.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/international/iran-welcomes-bidens-ntalks-offer-as-positive/article4377570.ece
All that and a trip to Paris too. Lucky guy!
US Vice-President Biden speaks at the 49th Conference on Security Policy in Munich
http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20130203-biden-visits-paris-backs-french-mali-intervention
I go there regularly because I have family near the Pyrenees. Paris is one of my favorite cities.
Yeah, Hollande is a improvement over Sarkozy.
It is a trip that Hillary would have normally undertaken. I guess that it fell during the transition period and too soon to have sent Kerry.
It's the largest airport in Europe and a nightmare. Aside from the people being so rude.
