Vice-Admiral boasts strong French-Yemeni naval relations

Yemen Observer: http://www.yobserver.com

Vice-Admiral boasts strong French-Yemeni naval relations

Posted in: Reports
Written By: Fares Anam
Article Date: Feb 16, 2008 - 1:45:47 AM

The French navy’s Vice-Admiral Gerard Valin and French ambassador to Yemen, Mr. Gilles Gauthier during Sana’a press conference.

France has strong relations with their friends in the countries which border the Indian Ocean, especially Yemen, said Vice-Admiral Gerard Valin, joint commander of the French forces in the Indian Ocean during a press conference that was held last Monday at the French Ambassador’s residence in Sana’a.

“The Yemeni army has strong and effective relations with the French forces and we consider this a priority of the two countries,” said Valin. “Our relationship with Yemeni officials is a strong one.”

France has foreign policies around the world, and these policies are focused in its embassies and armed forces that exist around the world, he said.

“We are ambassadors of peace,” Valin said. “Our plan is to contribute to stability and extend peace all over the world. We collaborate with all the countries that border the Indian Ocean to contribute to the stability in the area, and we are also reducing conflict in areas that have problems with each other.”

Valin stated that they cannot solve the conflicts with weapons, adding that these are only used in the last moments, as a final resort. “We are reducing conflict by offering development and food aid to increase the stability [in these regions].” For example, they offer food aid to Somalia, hoping in this way to help solve the internal conflict there.

Valin described his country’s relations with Yemen as strong, calling on those responsible not to neglect this fact and to move forward in order to strengthen relations between the two countries in various fields, particularly in the regulation of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, territorial waters and the Coast Guard and Special Forces.

“Our forces do not have any right to interfere in the affairs of others, but we intervene in the process of peace to reduce crises before they occur and generally help avoid them by summoning wisdom and activating dialogue between the parties. We use weapons only in crucial moments,” said Valin.

“We give dialogue the priority in resolving conflicts,” Valin said. “In conflicts all parties are losers.”

Regarding the role of his forces in the fight against the illegal smuggling of humans, Admiral Valin pointed to the absence of legal methods allowing his forces to intervene and stop smuggling operations, both at the international and regional levels. “It is the responsibility of the States that lie along these territorial waters to legitimize and control migration,” he said.

The French Ambassador in Sana’a, Mr. Gilles Gauthier, pointed to the possibility of intervening in the problem of smuggling illegal migrants in the case of a government’s request.

During his visit, Valin also discussed means of developing bilateral military relations between Yemen and France with Deputy Chief of General Staff Ali Qasim Talib.

Talib appreciated the progress in military relations between the two countries, particularly in the areas of the fight against terrorism, piracy and smuggling as well as cooperation in training to reinforce security and stability in the region and to secure the water passages in the Red and Arab Seas and the African Horn.

The French commander emphasized the importance of advancing mutual cooperation between the two countries’ armies and the exchange of military and security expertise in the field of fighting terrorism.

Admiral Valin was promoted to Vice-Admiral January 1st, 2007, and lives in Paris with his wife, Odile, and their five children. He took over his duties of Admiral commanding the Indan Ocean region on the 31st January 2008.