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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 17 May 2012
Francois Hollande takes oath as France’s President
Francois Hollande has been sworn in as the 24th president of France and the country’s first socialist leader for nearly two decades. According to French tradition, he was welcomed to the Elysee Palace by outgoing president Nicolas Sarkozy. Hollande, 57, was elected to a fiveyear term earlier this month after voters ousted incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy after only one term. Voters were disappointed over Sarkozy’s handling of France’s economy — which has high unemployment and low growth — and recoiled at his aggressive personality. Hollande plans to leave shortly on his first diplomatic foray — to Berlin, where he is meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel for a critical meeting on austerity Publisher Salah Bu Khamas (UAE) Sabha Khan (UK) UK Office 10 Courtenay Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 7ND UK Phone: +44 20 8904 0619 Fax: +44 20 8181 7575 info@satribune.co.uk India Office Satya Infomedia Pvt. Ltd. C/O Satya Group. 1st Floor, Avenue Appt., Near Sheth. R. J. J. High School, Tithal Road, Valsad - 396001 Gujarat, India United Arab Emirates Office S.K. Group of Companies P.O. Box 9021, Karama Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 2659970, 3359929; Fax: +971 4 2659971, 3341609 www.sk-groupofcompanies.com Managing Editor & CEO Mohammad Shahid Khan Group Editorial Managers Gulzar Khan (India) Abdul Khalique (Pakistan) Editorial Board UK Frances Brunner FYI Tribune team Adrian Fellar Misbah Khan Reema Shah Rohma Khan Keziah-Ann Abakah Marketing & Sales Andrew Klugman (Manager) Art Department UK Ali Ansar (Art Director) Md. Reazul Islam
and growth in Europe. Arriving Tuesday morning at the 18th-century palace that is the traditional residence of French presidents, Hollande was greeted by Sarkozy on the Elysee’s redcarpeted steps. Following a fortyminute private meeting with Sarkozy, Hollande was declared president after the head of the constitutional court read out the final results of the May 6 election. In his first presidential speech, Hollande promised to fight financial speculation and “open a new path” in Europe but acknowledged that he inherits huge government debt. He has pushed back against austerity measures championed by Germany amid Europe’s debt crisis and wants government stimulus instead. Hollande also pledged to
bring “dignity” to the presidential role — something voters felt that Sarkozy did not always do.
Muslim organizations, France’s chief rabbi, , the daughter of late President Francois Mitterrand’s mistress and a host of cultural figures. Hollande received the insignia of the Grand Croix from the hands of Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, who heads the prestigious Legion of Honor, and the necklace of the Great Master of the Order of the Legion of Honor. Each linked medallion of the necklace bears the name of a president, with Hollande’s name recently added. Sarkozy left the palace handin-hand with wife Carla BruniSarkozy, had a last handshake on the palace steps with Hollande, then
Guests at the ceremony included France’s leftist political elite, the head of an umbrella group of French
was driven away. Former staffers gathered in the palace courtyard applauded loudly as Sarkozy left.
Hollande was due to fly to Berlin later in the day for his first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. According to a survey of 10,000 voters conducted by Opinionway for Le Figaro (not online), 93 percent of French Muslims voted for Francois Hollande in the second round of the French election, La Vie reports. Another poll put Muslim support for Hollande at 85 percent. A prior Opinionway survey showed that 59 percent of Muslim voters (numbering about two million in total) voted for Hollande in the first round of the French elections, with Sarkozy only managing four percent. “It is the mark of a true rejection of Nicolas Sarkozy” said Julien Goarant, research director at Opinionway. Sarkozy’s attempts to woo Far-right voters and question the role of Islam (especially Halal meat) in France also did not go unnoticed. On the flip side, a poll for La Vie showed that 79 percent of practicing Catholics voted for Sarkozy, with Hollande cornering only 21 percent of their vote. But 70 percent of those considering themselves “without religion” went with Hollande, according to Le Figaro.
Ex-Spain PM: Putin told me ‘Israel will take care of Iran’ Continued from page 01 >> two evils, the US and Israel, “and to preserve unhurt the virtues of the religious regime of the ayatollahs,” according to Aznar. The existence of Israel and the US seriously threatened to pervert the religious society the Supreme Leader envisioned for Iran, and that is something he could not allow to happen, Aznar continued. Pressed by members of the audience to specify whether Khameini explicitly called for Israel’s destruction, Aznar said the Iranian leader told him it was necessary to eliminate the threat that Israeli poses. “And that means obviously the elimination of Israel,” said Aznar. “If Israel is alive the threat survives. They’re trying to eliminate the threat. The elimination of the threat means Israel must be eliminated.” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (photo credit: CC-BY Wikipedia/sajed.ir) Asked whether Khameini actually used to word “eliminate,” Aznar responded affirmatively. He noted, however, that he spoke to the Iranian leader through an interpreter. Commenting on the current debate over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Aznar said next week’s talks in Baghdad between the Islamic
Republic and the P5+1 countries should be Tehran’s “last chance to come clean and be cooperative.” He demanded Iran stop all enrichment, remove all previously enriched uranium and dismantle its nuclear facilities,
echoing the Israeli government’s position. “The Iranians must say whether they agree or not,” Aznar said. “A simple yes or no. Other than that, the risk of entering endless negotiations is too high.” Aznar, who in 2010 founded the Friends of Israel initiative together with other international leaders, also recalled a meeting with Putin, in which he raised the risk of Moscow’s plan to sell Tehran air defense missiles. “He came closer to me and whispered, ‘Jose Maria, don’t worry. I, you — we can sell everything, even if we are worried by an Iranian nuclear bomb. Because at the end of the day, the Israelis will take care of it,’” Aznar remembered. Russia in 2007 pledged to provide Iran with at least five S-300 surface-to-air missile systems but in 2010 backtracked. “I don’t think it’s fair putting all the burden of solving the global problems on the shoulders of Israel. But given the current environment, the decision makers here in Jerusalem must face the question of how to deal with an impending nuclear Iran,” Aznar said. “In any case, we should accept that Israel has the right to defend itself, by itself.”