Kouchner milked African states: book
Henry Samuel, The Daily Telegraph; with files from Agence France-Presse, 5 February 2009
France’s crusading Foreign Minister has been accused of using his political clout to earn huge sums from African governments.
In a new book, The World According to K, journalist Pierre Pean accuses Bernard Kouchner, the country’s most popular politician, of being a cynical opportunist who used his position to secure lucrative contracts from Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Clinton to meet French counterpart on 5th February
IranVNC / 3 February 2009
Washington, 3 February (IranVNC)—France’s Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will visit Washington on Thursday for his first meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, AFP reports.
“This first working visit is taking place within the context of the new trans-Atlantic relationship that we are hoping for,” France’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Eric Chevallier said in Paris, according to AFP.
The two diplomats will discuss “major global challenges and major international issues, in particular the Middle East, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur and the DR [Democratic Republic of] Congo,” he added.