France
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
French Republic
Geography
Area: 551,670 sq. km. (220,668 sq. mi.); largest west European
country, about four-fifths the size of Texas.
Cities: Capital--Paris. Other cities--Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse,
Strasbourg, Nice, Rennes, Lille, Bordeaux.
Terrain: Varied.
Climate: Temperate; similar to that of the eastern U.S.
People
Nationality: Adjective--French.
Population (Jan. 2005 est.): 62.4 million.
Annual growth rate (2004 est.): 2.3%.
Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African,
Sub-Saharan African, Indochinese, and Basque minorities.
Religion: Roman Catholic 90%.
Language: French.
Education: Years compulsory--10. Literacy--99%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--4.46/1,000.
Work force (2004): 24,720,000: Services--72.9%; industry and commerce--24.4%;
agriculture--2.7%.
Government
Type: Republic.
Constitution: September 28, 1958.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state); prime minister
(head of government). Legislative--bicameral Parliament (577-member
National Assembly, 319-member Senate). Judicial--Court of Cassation
(civil and criminal law), Council of State (administrative court),
Constitutional Council (constitutional law).
Subdivisions: 22 administrative regions containing 96 departments
(metropolitan France). Four overseas departments (Guadeloupe,
Martinique, French Guiana, and Reunion); five overseas territories
(New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna Islands, and
French Southern and Antarctic Territories); and two special status
territories (Mayotte and St. Pierre and Miquelon).
Political parties: Union for a Popular Majority (UMP--a synthesis
of center-right Gaullist/nationalist and free-market parties);
Union for French Democracy (a fusion of centrist and pro-European
parties); Socialist Party; Communist Party; National Front; Greens;
various minor parties.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Economy
GDP (2004 est.): $2.018 trillion.
Avg. annual growth rate (2004 est.): 2.3%.
Per capita GDP (2004 est.): $32,340.
Agriculture: Products--grains (wheat, barley, corn); wines and
spirits; dairy products; sugarbeets; oilseeds; meat and poultry;
fruits and vegetables.
Industry: Types--aircraft, electronics, transportation, textiles,
clothing, food processing, chemicals, machinery, steel.
Trade (est.): Exports (2004)--$341.3 billion: automobiles and
automobile spare parts, aircraft, pharmaceuticals, electronic
components, wine, electric components. Imports (2004)--$349.3
billion: crude oil, automobiles and automobile spare parts, pharmaceuticals,
natural gas, aircraft spare parts, electronics. Major trading
partners--EU and U.S.
Exchange rate: U.S. $1=euro 0.884 in 2003, and U.S. $1=euro 0.804
in 2004.
PEOPLE
Since prehistoric times, France has been a crossroads of trade,
travel, and invasion. Three basic European ethnic stocks--Celtic,
Latin, and Teutonic (Frankish)--have blended over the centuries
to make up its present population. France's birth rate was among
the highest in Europe from 1945 until the late 1960s. Since then,
its birth rate has fallen but remains higher than that of most
other west European countries. Traditionally, France has had a
high level of immigration. More than 1 million Muslims immigrated
in the 1960s and early 1970s from North Africa, especially Algeria.
About 90% of the population is Roman Catholic, 7% Muslim, less
than 2% Protestant, and about 1% Jewish. In 2004, there were over
5 million Muslims, largely of North African descent, living in
France.
Education is free, beginning at age 2, and mandatory between ages
6 and 16. The public education system is highly centralized. Private
education is primarily Roman Catholic. Higher education in France
began with the founding of the University of Paris in 1150. It
now consists of 91 public universities and 175 professional schools,
such as the post-graduate Grandes Ecoles. Private, college-level
institutions focusing on business and management with curriculums
structured on the American system of credits and semesters have
been growing in recent years.
The French language derives from the vernacular Latin spoken by
the Romans in Gaul, although it includes many Celtic and Germanic
words. French has been an international language for centuries
and is a common second language throughout the world. It is one
of five official languages at the United Nations. In Africa, Asia,
the Pacific, and the West Indies, French has been a unifying factor,
particularly in those countries where it serves as the only common
language among a variety of indigenous languages and dialects.
HISTORY
France was one of the earliest countries to progress from feudalism
to the nation-state. Its monarchs surrounded themselves with capable
ministers, and French armies were among the most innovative, disciplined,
and professional of their day.
During the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715), France was the dominant
power in Europe. But overly ambitious projects and military campaigns
of Louis and his successors led to chronic financial problems
in the 18th century. Deteriorating economic conditions and popular
resentment against the complicated system of privileges granted
the nobility and clerics were among the principal causes of the
French Revolution (1789-94). Although the revolutionaries advocated
republican and egalitarian principles of government, France reverted
to forms of absolute rule or constitutional monarchy four times--the
Empire of Napoleon, the Restoration of Louis XVIII, the reign
of Louis-Philippe, and the Second Empire of Napoleon III. After
the Franco-Prussian War (1870), the Third Republic was established
and lasted until the military defeat of 1940.
World War I (1914-18) brought great losses of troops and materiel.
In the 1920s, France established an elaborate system of border
defenses (the Maginot Line) and alliances to offset resurgent
German strength. France was defeated early in World War II, however,
and was occupied in June 1940. The German victory left the French
groping for a new policy and new leadership suited to the circumstances.
On July 10, 1940, the Vichy government was established. Its senior
leaders acquiesced in the plunder of French resources, as well
as the sending of French forced labor to Germany; in doing so,
they claimed they hoped to preserve at least some small amount
of French sovereignty.
The German occupation proved quite costly, however, as a full
one-half of France's public sector revenue was appropriated by
Germany. After 4 years of occupation and strife, Allied forces
liberated France in 1944. A bitter legacy carries over to the
present day.
France emerged from World War II to face a series of new problems.
After a short period of provisional government initially led by
Gen. Charles de Gaulle, the Fourth Republic was set up by a new
constitution and established as a parliamentary form of government
controlled by a series of coalitions. The mixed nature of the
coalitions and a consequent lack of agreement on measures for
dealing with Indochina and Algeria caused successive cabinet crises
and changes of government.
Finally, on May 13, 1958, the government structure collapsed as
a result of the tremendous opposing pressures generated in the
divisive Algerian issue. A threatened coup led the Parliament
to call on General de Gaulle to head the government and prevent
civil war. He became prime minister in June 1958 (at the beginning
of the Fifth Republic) and was elected president in December of
that year.
Seven years later, in an occasion marking the first time in the
20th century that the people of France went to the polls to elect
a president by direct ballot, de Gaulle won re-election with a
55% share of the vote, defeating François Mitterrand. In
April 1969, President de Gaulle's government conducted a national
referendum on the creation of 21 regions with limited political
powers. The government's proposals were defeated, and de Gaulle
subsequently resigned. Succeeding him as president of France have
been Gaullist Georges Pompidou (1969-74), Independent Republican
Valery Giscard d'Estaing (1974-81), Socialist François
Mitterrand (1981-95), and neo-Gaullist Jacques Chirac (first elected
in spring 1995 and reelected in 2002).
While France continues to revere its rich history and independence,
French leaders are increasingly tying the future of France to
the continued development of the European Union. During his tenure,
President Mitterrand stressed the importance of European integration
and advocated the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty on European
economic and political union, which France's electorate narrowly
approved in September 1992. President Jacques Chirac assumed office
May 17, 1995, after a campaign focused on the need to combat France's
stubbornly high unemployment rate and growing "incomes gap."
The center of domestic attention soon shifted, however, to the
economic reform and belt-tightening measures required for France
to meet the criteria for Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) laid
out by the Maastricht Treaty. In late 1995, France experienced
its worst labor unrest in at least a decade, as employees protested
government cutbacks. On the foreign and security policy front,
Chirac took a more assertive approach to protecting French peacekeepers
in the former Yugoslavia and helped promote the peace accords
negotiated in Dayton and signed in Paris in December 1995. The
French have been one of the strongest supporters of North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) and European Union (EU) policy in Kosovo
and the Balkans. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks
in the U.S., France has played a central role in the war on terrorism.
French forces participate in Operation Enduring Freedom and in
the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for Afghanistan.
France did not join the coalition that liberated Iraq in 2003.
Notwithstanding the ensuing difficulties in U.S.-France relations,
cooperation between the U.S. and France in the intelligence and
law enforcement dimensions of the war on terror remained excellent.
GOVERNMENT
The constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by public
referendum on September 28, 1958. It greatly strengthened the
authority of the executive in relation to Parliament. Under the
constitution, presidents have been elected directly for a 7-year
term since 1958. Beginning in 2002, the term of office is now
5 years. Presidential arbitration assures regular functioning
of the public powers and the continuity of the state. The president
names the prime minister, presides over the cabinet, commands
the armed forces, and concludes treaties.
The president may submit questions to a national referendum and
can dissolve the National Assembly. In certain emergency situations,
the president may assume full powers. Besides the president, the
other main component of France's executive branch is the cabinet.
Led by a prime minister, who is the head of government, the cabinet
is composed of a varying number of ministers, ministers-delegate,
and secretaries of state. Parliament meets for one 9-month session
each year. Under special circumstances the president can call
an additional session.
Although parliamentary powers were diminished by the Constitution,
the National Assembly can still cause a government to fall if
an absolute majority of the total Assembly membership votes to
censure. The Parliament is bicameral with a National Assembly
and a Senate. The National Assembly is the principal legislative
body. Its deputies are directly elected to 5-year terms, and all
seats are voted on in each election. Senators are chosen by an
electoral college and, under new rules passed in 2003 to shorten
the term, serve for six years, with one-half of the Senate being
renewed every three years. (As a transitional measure in 2004,
62 Senators were elected to 9-year terms, while 61 were elected
to 6-year terms; subsequently, all terms will be six years.) The
Senate's legislative powers are limited; the National Assembly
has the last word in the event of a disagreement between the two
houses. The government has a strong influence in shaping the agenda
of Parliament. The government also can declare a bill to be a
question of confidence, thereby linking its continued existence
to the passage of the legislative text; unless a motion of censure
is introduced and voted, the text is considered adopted without
a vote.
The most distinctive feature of the French judicial system is
that it is divided into the Constitutional Council and the Council
of State. The Constitutional Council examines legislation and
decides whether it conforms to the constitution. Unlike the U.S.
Supreme Court, it considers only legislation that is referred
to it by Parliament, the prime minister, or the president; moreover,
it considers legislation before it is promulgated. The Council
of State has a separate function from the Constitutional Council
and provides recourse to individual citizens who have claims against
the administration. The Ordinary Courts--including specialized
bodies such as the police court, the criminal court, the correctional
tribunal, the commercial court, and the industrial court--settle
disputes that arise between citizens, as well as disputes that
arise between citizens and corporations. The Court of Appeals
reviews cases judged by the Ordinary Courts.
Traditionally, decision-making in France has been highly centralized,
with each of France's departments headed by a prefect appointed
by the central government. In 1982, the national government passed
legislation to decentralize authority by giving a wide range of
administrative and fiscal powers to local elected officials. In
March 1986, regional councils were directly elected for the first
time, and the process of decentralization continues, albeit at
a slow pace.
Principal Government Officials
President--Jacques Chirac
Prime Minister--Dominique de Villepin
Foreign Minister--Phillippe Douste-Blazy
Ambassador to the United States--Jean-David Levitte
Ambassador to the United Nations--Jean-Marc Rochereau de la Sablière
France maintains an embassy in the U.S. at 4101
Reservoir Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20007 (tel. 202-944-6000).
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
President Jacques Chirac and his center-right coalition won the
May 2002 elections. Chirac was first elected in 1995, and his
party, the Rally for the Republic (RPR), won an absolute majority
in the National Assembly. In Chirac's first term, a referendum
was passed changing the presidential term of office from 7 to
5 years. During his first 2 years in office, President Chirac's
Prime Minister was Alain Juppé, who also served as leader
of Chirac's neo-Gaullist RPR Party. However, during the legislative
elections of 1997, the left won a majority in the Assembly, and
Juppé was replaced by Socialist Lionel Jospin. This right-left
"cohabitation" arrangement, which ended with Jospin's
resignation following his defeat in the first round of the May
2002 presidential elections, was the longest lasting government
in the history of the Fifth Republic. Jean-Pierre Raffarin became
Prime Minister in May 2002 following Jospin’s resignation.
In June 2005, former Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin replaced
Raffarin as Prime Minister, shortly after the defeat of the EU
Constitution in a referendum on May 29, 2005. Among other cabinet
changes in June 2005, Phillippe Douste-Blazy became the new Foreign
Minister and Nicolas Sarkozy was appointed Interior Minister.
As expected, in the second round of the presidential
election on May 5th, 2002, Jacques Chirac comfortably defeated
Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the extremist, right-wing National
Front. Chirac won by the largest margin (82% to 19%) ever recorded
in the second round of a French presidential election; at the
same time, abstention reached a record level of 20%.
The ensuing legislative elections proved to be a victory for the
center-right and a reversal of the 1997 elections. The center-right
coalition party won 399 out of 577 seats in the National Assembly,
thereby securing for Chirac and his party a majority in the government.
Meanwhile, the combined left--Socialists (PS), Communists (PCF)
and Greens--took only 178. The extreme-right National Front, despite
the infamous second-place finish of its leader Le Pen in the April/May
2002 presidential election, won no seats. Abstention at 39% set
a new record. In March 2004 regional elections, however, Chirac’s
party lost control of all but one region, while the Socialists
scored major gains. The Union for Popular Movement (UMP)--center-right
coalition party--won only 16.6% of the vote in the June 2004 European
Parliament elections.
Experts have called on France to reduce government spending, the
budget deficit, and public debt, and to allow flexibility in the
implementation of the 35-hour work week. Mounting pressure for
short- and long-term reforms include more labor-market flexibility,
less taxation, and an improved business climate, including further
privatization and liberalization. French and EU analysts stress
that longer-term measures must focus on reducing the future burden
of ballooning public pension and health care budgets, as well
as reducing labor-related taxes. Government action to initiate
such reforms may have contributed to the center-right’s
poor showing in the 2004 regional and European Parliamentary elections,
and continues to spark periodic strikes and work stoppages throughout
France.
ECONOMY
With a GDP of $2.02 trillion, France is the fifth-largest Western
industrialized economy. It has substantial agricultural resources,
a large industrial base, and a highly skilled work force. A dynamic
services sector accounts for an increasingly large share of economic
activity and is responsible for nearly all job creation in recent
years. GDP growth was 0.2% in 2003, after two years of steady
decline from 4.2% in 2000. GDP growth rebounded to 2.3% in 2004
from 1.1% in 2002 and 0.5% in 2003.
Government economic policy aims to promote investment and domestic
growth in a stable fiscal and monetary environment. Creating jobs
and reducing the high unemployment rate through recovery-supportive
policy has been a top priority. The Government of France successfully
reduced an unemployment rate of 12% to 8.7% in the late 1990s
but has seen unemployment increase to above 10.1% in early 2005.
France joined 10 other European Union countries in adopting the
euro as its currency in January 1999. Since then, monetary policy
has been set by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. On January
1, 2002, France, along with the other countries of the euro zone,
dropped its national currency in favor of euro bills and coins.
Despite significant reform and privatization over the past 15
years, the government continues to control a large share of economic
activity: Government spending, at 54.7% of GDP in 2003, is among
the highest in the G-7. Regulation of labor and product markets
is pervasive. The government continues to own shares in corporations
in a range of sectors, including banking, energy production and
distribution, automobiles, transportation, and telecommunications.
Legislation passed in 1998 shortened the legal work week from
39 to 35 hours for most employees effective January 1, 2000. Recent
assessments of the impact of work week reduction on growth and
jobs have generally concluded that the goal of job creation was
not met. The current administration is introducing increasing
flexibility into the law, returning the country to a de facto
(if not de jure) 39-hour work week in the private sector.
Membership in France's labor unions accounts for less than 10%
of the private sector work force and is concentrated in the manufacturing,
transportation, and heavy industry sectors. Most unions are affiliated
with one of the competing national federations, the largest and
most powerful of which are the communist-dominated General Labor
Confederation (CGT), the Workers' Force (FO), and the French Democratic
Confederation of Labor (CFDT).
France has been very successful in developing dynamic telecommunications,
aerospace, and weapons sectors. With virtually no domestic oil
production, France has relied heavily on the development of nuclear
power, which now accounts for about 80% of the country's electricity
production.
Trade
France is the second-largest trading nation in western Europe
(after Germany). France ran a $23.0 billion deficit in 2004. Total
trade for 2004 amounted to $858.2 billion, over 40% of GDP. Trade
with EU-15 countries accounts for 61.0% (2004) of French trade.
In 2003, U.S.-France trade in goods and services totaled $84.5
billion. U.S. industrial chemicals, aircraft and engines, electronic
components, telecommunications, computer software, computers and
peripherals, analytical and scientific instrumentation, medical
instruments and supplies, broadcasting equipment, and programming
and franchising are particularly attractive to French importers.
Total French trade of goods and services was $994.4 billion in
2003.
Principal French exports to the United States are aircraft and
engines, beverages, electrical equipment, chemicals, cosmetics,
and luxury products. France is the ninth-largest trading partner
of the United States.
Agriculture
France is the European Union's leading agricultural producer,
accounting for about one-third of all agricultural land within
the EU. Northern France is characterized by large wheat farms.
Dairy products, pork, poultry, and apple production are concentrated
in the western region. Beef production is located in central France,
while the production of fruits, vegetables, and wine ranges from
central to southern France. France is a large producer of many
agricultural products and is expanding its forestry and fishery
industries. The implementation of the Common Agricultural Policy
(CAP) and the Uruguay Round of the GATT Agreement resulted in
reforms in the agricultural sector of the economy. Continued revision
of the CAP and reforms agreed under the Doha round of World Trade
Organization (WTO) will further change French agriculture.
France is the world's second-largest agricultural producer, after
the United States. However, the destination of 70% of its exports
is other EU member states. Wheat, beef, pork, poultry, and dairy
products are the principal exports. The United States, although
the second-largest exporter to France, faces stiff competition
from domestic production, other EU member states, and third countries.
U.S. agricultural exports to France, totaling $425 million in
2003, consist primarily of soybeans and products, feeds and fodders,
seafood, and consumer oriented products, especially snack foods
and nuts. French agricultural exports to the United States are
mainly cheese, processed products, and wine. They amount to about
$1.75 billion (2003) annually.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
A charter member of the United Nations, France holds one of the
permanent seats in the Security Council and is a member of most
of its specialized and related agencies. France is also America's
oldest ally; French military intervention was instrumental in
helping Britain's American colonies establish independence. Because
many battles in which the United States was involved during World
War I and World War II took place in France, more American soldiers
have been killed on French soil than on that of any other foreign
country.
France is a leader in Western Europe because of its size, location,
strong economy, membership in European organizations, strong military
posture, and energetic diplomacy. France generally has worked
to strengthen the global economic and political influence of the
EU and its role in common European defense. It views Franco-German
cooperation and the development of a European Security and Defense
Policy (ESDP) with other EU members, as the foundation of efforts
to enhance European security.
France supports Quartet (U.S.-EU-Russia-UN) efforts to implement
the Middle East roadmap, which envisions establishment of a Palestinian
state, living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel.
Recognizing the need for a comprehensive peace agreement, France
supports the involvement of all Arab parties and Israel in a multilateral
peace process. It also allowed Palestinian Authority President
Yasir Arafat to receive medical treatment in France during his
final illness; he died there in November 2004.
Since 2003, France has supported four UN Security
Council (UNSC) resolutions on Iraq, including UNSCR 1546, which
laid out a timetable for Iraq’s political transition and
reaffirmed UNSC authorization for a Multinational Force in Iraq,
at the invitation of the Iraqi government, to stabilize the country.
France contributed in part to the 230 million euro EU contribution
to Iraq reconstruction in 2003. After the Iraqi Interim Government
took power, France agreed to substantial debt relief and offered
police training to Iraqi security forces.
France plays a significant role in Africa, especially in its former
colonies, through extensive aid programs, commercial activities,
military agreements, and cultural impact. In those former colonies
where the French presence remains important, France contributes
to political, military, and social stability. France maintains
permanent military bases in Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti,
Gabon, and Senegal. France deployed additional military forces
to Cote d’Ivoire in 2002 and to Central African Republic
in 2003 to address crises in both countries and, with EU partners,
led an international military operation to the Democratic Republic
of the Congo in 2003. In 2004, it deployed military forces to
provide humanitarian relief supplies to refugees from Darfur in
Chad and to monitor the Chad-Sudan border. French forces are also
serving with international operations in Burundi, Ethiopia/Eritrea,
and Liberia. France has also deployed forces to Togo (in support
of operations in Cote d’Ivoire), Cameroon, and the Central
African Republic. An attack on French forces in Cote d’Ivoire
in 2004 by government soldiers led to the departure of thousands
of French nationals from that country, with some stating an intention
to return to Cote d’Ivoire and others indicating that their
departure was permanent.
France has extensive political and commercial relations with Asian
countries, including China, Japan, and Southeast Asia as well
as an increasing presence in regional fora. France is seeking
to broaden its commercial presence in China and will pose a competitive
challenge to U.S. business, particularly in aerospace, high-tech,
and luxury markets. In Southeast Asia, France was an architect
of the 1991 Paris Accords, which ended the conflict in Cambodia.
Security Issues
French military doctrine is based on the concepts of national
independence, nuclear deterrence, and military sufficiency. France
is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO), and has worked actively with Allies to adapt NATO--internally
and externally--to the post-Cold War environment. In December
1995, France announced that it would increase its participation
in NATO's military wing, including the Military Committee (the
French withdrew from NATO's military bodies in 1966 while remaining
full participants in the alliance's political councils). France
remains a firm supporter of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other efforts at cooperation.
Outside of NATO, France has actively and heavily participated
in a variety of peacekeeping/coalition efforts in Africa, the
Middle East, and the Balkans, often taking the lead in these operations.
France has undertaken a major restructuring to develop a professional
military that will be smaller, more rapidly deployable and better
tailored for operations outside of mainland France. Key elements
of the restructuring include reducing personnel, bases, and headquarters
and rationalizing equipment and the armament industry. French
active-duty military at the beginning of 2004 numbered about 334,000
(including Gendarmes), of which nearly 35,000 were assigned outside
of metropolitan France. France completed the move to all-professional
armed forces when conscription ended on December 31, 2002.
France places a high priority on arms control and non-proliferation.
After conducting a final series of six nuclear tests, the French
signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1996. France has implemented
a moratorium on the production, export, and use of anti-personnel
landmines and supports negotiations leading toward a universal
ban. France is an active participant in the major supplier regimes
designed to restrict transfer of technologies that could lead
to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: the Nuclear Suppliers
Group, the Australia Group (for chemical and biological weapons),
the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the Missile Technology Control
Regime. France participates actively in the Proliferation Security
Initiative, and is engaged with the U.S., both bilaterally and
at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), to curb nuclear,
biological, and chemical (NBC) proliferation from the D.P.R.K.,
Iran, Libya, and elsewhere. France has joined with the U.S., Germany,
and the other three permanent members of the UN Security Council
to offer a package of incentives and disincentives to Iran to
halt its uranium enrichment activities. France has also signed
and ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention.
U.S.-FRENCH RELATIONS
Relations between the United States and France are active and
cordial. Mutual visits by high-level officials are conducted frequently.
Bilateral contact at the cabinet level has traditionally been
active. France and the United States share common values and have
parallel policies on most political, economic, and security issues.
Differences are discussed frankly and have not generally been
allowed to impair the pattern of close cooperation that characterizes
relations between the two countries.
France is one of NATO’s top three troop contributors. The
French support NATO modernization efforts and are leading contributors
to the NATO Response Force (NRF). France is keen to build European
defense capabilities, including through the development of EU
battle-group sized force packages and joint European military
production initiatives. Defense Minister Alliot-Marie has stated
repeatedly that the development of a European defense must be
done transparently and in complement with NATO, which remains
at the core of transatlantic security.
France cooperates with the U.S. to monitor and disrupt terrorist
groups and has processed numerous U.S. requests for information
under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. French security and
intelligence services have rounded up hundreds of extremists in
the past year. The French judiciary has upheld the pre-trial detainment
of the four French former Guantanamo detainees. France is a strong
partner in multiple non-proliferation fora and is a key participant
in the Proliferation Security Initiative. Through the "EU3"
(France, the U.K., and Germany), France is working to prevent
Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
France opposed the use of force in Iraq in March 2003 and did
not join the U.S.-led coalition that liberated the country from
the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein. Despite differences over
Iraq, the U.S. and France continue to cooperate closely on many
issues, most notably the global war on terrorism, efforts to stem
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and on
regional problems, including in Africa, Lebanon, and Kosovo. On
Iraq, the French agreed to generous debt relief for Iraq in Paris
Club negotiations and have accepted the establishment of a NATO
training mission there. Both President Chirac and former Foreign
Minister Barnier have spoken publicly in support of the January
30, 2005 Iraq elections, even though they also expressed concerns
about the need to broaden political participation in Iraq. Since
President Bush’s reelection, President Chirac and former
Foreign Minister Barnier have called repeatedly for reinforced
transatlantic and U.S.-French alliance. French forces participate
in both Operation Enduring Freedom and ISAF and work with the
U.S. training the Afghan army.
France seeks robust U.S. engagement in the peace
process and assistance in ensuring that the post-Arafat transition
proceeds peacefully and views U.S.-European cooperation on Israeli-Palestinian
issues as a critical component of a reinvigorated transatlantic
dialogue. The Chirac government has attempted to improve relations
with Israel. During a visit to Israel in October 2004, then-Foreign
Minister Barnier praised the Gaza withdrawal plan as a "courageous
first step," and urged a greater role for the EU in the implementing
the roadmap. France and the U.S. co-sponsored a UNSC resolution
calling for Syrian non-interference in Lebanon and continue to
cooperate on its implementation. France participates in the U.S.
Broader Middle East and North Africa initiative.
The U.S. and France have worked closely to support
a sovereign and independent Lebanon, free of Syrian domination.
The U.S. and France co-sponsored in September 2004 UNSCR 1559,
which called for full withdrawal of Syrian forces, a free and
fair electoral process, and disbanding and disarmament of all
Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias. In the wake of the assassination
of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005,
the U.S. and France reiterated calls for a full, immediate withdrawal
of all Syrian troops and security services from Lebanon.
Principal U.S. Embassy Officials
Ambassador--Craig Roberts Stapleton
Deputy Chief of Mission--Karl Hofmann
Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs--Josiah B. Rosenblatt
Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs--Thomas J. White
Minister-Counselor for Commercial Affairs--Robert Connan
Minister-Counselor for Consular Affairs--Donald Wells
Minister-Counselor for Management Affairs--Elizabeth J. Agnew
Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs--Renee Earle
Defense Attache--Col. Ralph R. Steinke
Counselor for Scientific and Technological Affairs--Robert W.
Dry
Consuls General
Consulate General, Marseille--Philip Breeden
Consulate General, Strasbourg--Frankie Reed
Consul, APP Lyon--Angie Bryan
Consul, APP Toulouse--Jennifer Bachus-Carlton
Consul, APP Rennes--Virginia Murray
Consul, APP Bordeaux--J. Brinton Rowdybush
Consul, APP Lille--vacant
The U.S. Embassy in France is located at 2 Avenue
Gabriel, Paris 8 (tel. [33] (1) 4312-2222). The United States
also is represented in Paris by its mission to the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
TRAVEL AND BUSINESS INFORMATION
The U.S. Department of State's Consular Information Program provides
Consular Information Sheets, Travel Warnings, and Public Announcements.
Consular Information Sheets exist for all countries and include
information on entry requirements, currency regulations, health
conditions, areas of instability, crime and security, political
disturbances, and the addresses of the U.S. posts in the country.
Travel Warnings are issued when the State Department recommends
that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. Public Announcements
are issued as a means to disseminate information quickly about
terrorist threats and other relatively short-term conditions overseas
that pose significant risks to the security of American travelers.
Free copies of this information are available by calling the Bureau
of Consular Affairs at 202-647-5225 or via the fax-on-demand system:
202-647-3000. Consular Information Sheets and Travel Warnings
also are available on the Consular Affairs Internet home page:
http://travel.state.gov. Consular Affairs Tips for Travelers publication
series, which contain information on obtaining passports and planning
a safe trip abroad, are on the Internet and hard copies can be
purchased from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government
Printing Office, telephone: 202-512-1800; fax 202-512-2250.
Emergency information concerning Americans traveling
abroad may be obtained from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services
at (202) 647-5225. For after-hours emergencies, Sundays and holidays,
call 202-647-4000.
The National Passport Information Center (NPIC)
is the U.S. Department of State's single, centralized public contact
center for U.S. passport information. Telephone: 1-877-4USA-PPT
(1-877-487-2778). Customer service representatives and operators
for TDD/TTY are available Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.,
Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.
Travelers can check the latest health information
with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta,
Georgia. A hotline at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) and a web site
at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/index.htm give the most recent health
advisories, immunization recommendations or requirements, and
advice on food and drinking water safety for regions and countries.
A booklet entitled Health Information for International Travel
(HHS publication number CDC-95-8280) is available from the U.S.
Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, tel. (202) 512-1800.
Information on travel conditions, visa requirements,
currency and customs regulations, legal holidays, and other items
of interest to travelers also may be obtained before your departure
from a country's embassy and/or consulates in the U.S. (for this
country, see "Principal Government Officials" listing
in this publication).
U.S. citizens who are long-term visitors or traveling
in dangerous areas are encouraged to register their travel via
the State Department’s travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov
or at the Consular section of the U.S. embassy upon arrival in
a country by filling out a short form and sending in a copy of
their passports. This may help family members contact you in case
of an emergency.
Further Electronic Information
Department of State Web Site. Available on the Internet at http://www.state.gov,
the Department of State web site provides timely, global access
to official U.S. foreign policy information, including Background
Notes and daily press briefings along with the directory of key
officers of Foreign Service posts and more.
Export.gov provides a portal to all export-related
assistance and market information offered by the federal government
and provides trade leads, free export counseling, help with the
export process, and more.
STAT-USA/Internet, a service of the U.S. Department
of Commerce, provides authoritative economic, business, and international
trade information from the Federal government. The site includes
current and historical trade-related releases, international market
research, trade opportunities, and country analysis and provides
access to the National Trade Data Bank.
