French foreign Policy in the Middle East during the 5th Republic

Extract

[...] We will see then how François Mitterrand's election will alter French policy in the Middle East. François Mitterrand (1981-1995) The election of François Mitterrand, first socialist president in the 5th Republic, brought some apprehension in the Arab states, especially because of the support that the socialist ideal found in the Zionist ideas. Nevertheless, Mitterrand announced his foreign policy toward Middle East as a desire to humor Israel while keeping open the channels for dialogue with the Palestinians. Mitterrand's ideas were at the beginning to keep the Franco-Palestinian relations already established, but also, improving Frances's relationship with Israel and the United States. [...]

[...] Nevertheless, to obtain this recognition from the French Giscard d'Estaing asked Yasser Arafat to suspend any terrorist attack in order to be legitimate for the international community. The French recognition of the PLO was semi-official though, but in 1975 the French government allowed the PLO to open an information office in Paris. This huge step from France, because of the reticence from some European countries, will make France having favored relation with Palestine and the Arab states. By 1977, France plan to play an even more important role in supporting the Palestinian people; they will put the Palestinian question on the European agenda that can be summarized in three points: “Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories, the Palestinian right to a homeland and to secure and recognize borders for all states in the region”. [...]

[...] The Middle East policy he is going to apply all along his mandate can be summarize in his first press conference as a president: As you know, France owes it to herself to defend her moral and material interests, which are considerable and diverse in the entire Mediterranean region; Particularly important are longstanding and renewed ties with the Arab states. Our policy is, and has always been, to counsel prudence whenever possible, and then to try to promote or assist in promoting a solution which would allow the state of Israel to exist peacefully within secure and recognized borders, while at the same time resolving the human and political problems posed by the existence and rights of the Palestinian people. [...]

[...] Decolonization problems or Middle East conflicts will be then, the factors that will give such an importance to foreign policy in France. Conflicts in the Middle East will occur all along the 5th Rep, and France will have an important role because it is still a super power, so the decisions that its leader will take will be important in the evolution of the conflict. I will study the foreign policy of each president of the 5th Republic, mostly in the Middle East, in order to be able at the end to show how France contributed to the evolution in the Middle East. [...]

[...] The previous government couldn't deal with these problems, and that's a reason why he changed the constitution; now, the powers given to the president, especially those providing for the use of the referendum and for presidential rule during a state of emergency, reflected his firm conviction that a strong state required a leader with enough power to make the right decisions. He clearly announced the politic he was going to enforced: working on a European policy, Emancipate from the United States, and sort out the conflict in Algeria. [...]