French Secretary of State for foreign affairs and human
rights, Rama Yade. She was born in Senegal .
Le Parisien, France
French Official: 'Obama
Adventure Makes America Magical'
"Obama has become a kind of world citizen. In a small way, he belongs to everyone. All of us watch America with a sort of envy -
because what they're doing, we aren't able to do …"
-- Rama Yade,
French Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights
Interview Conducted By Dominique de Montvalon
and Henri Vernet
Le Parisien: Doesn't the financial crisis that has shaken the world
make the fight for human rights a luxury?
Rama Yade: It's the opposite. With the debate over the morality
of the international financial life - which is what's at stake - it's values that bring us together. Why this crisis? Because
a financial oligarchy has replaced the republican motto "Liberty, Equality,
Brotherhood" with its own motto: "Irresponsibility, Greed, Inequality."
The tax paradise for the few has become hell for the many.
Le Parisien: Nicolas Sarkozy has once again left for China and,
once again, you're not at his side …
Rama Yade: The trip is to discuss the financial crisis there. In
November, France and China will both be at the European Union-China summit. I'll
have my place there. The issue isn't whether I'm there or not, but what we're
doing and what we're not doing. When the President of the Republic goes to
Beijing, he always talks about human rights.
Le Parisien: And is there progress?
Rama Yade: Slowly, step by step, yes. But I regret that the
dialogue between the Chinese and representatives of the Dalai Lama has thus far
not been more effective.
Le Parisien: Would you have liked for the Chinese dissident, HuJia, to have received the Nobel
Peace Prize?
Rama Yade: The European Parliament just awarded him the Sakharov
Prize for Freedom of Thought. I'm very happy about that. I've been writing to
the Chinese authorities for months to secure his release. He must regain his
freedom.
Le Parisien: Will you go to China at some point?
Rama Yade: I hope so. The ambassador of China, whom I have met, has
invited me. We should be able to speak frankly, as the Chinese do with us.
Le Parisien: Would you like for Nicolas Sarkozy to meet with the
Dalai Lama?
Rama Yade: Speaking personally, yes. They would have a lot to
say to one other. From that point of view, a meeting would be marvelous.
Le Parisien: Many countries think that there's a sort of French
arrogance in giving others lessons on human rights …
Rama Yade: We do not seek to impose a Western vision of the
world, but to promote values that are universal. To accept a level of human
rights for others that is inferior to our own - that is the height of arrogance!
Le Parisien: Are you surprised by the interest in Obama's
candidacy?
OBAMA-SARKOZY PRESS CONFERENCE IN PARIS, JULY 25, 2008
Rama Yade: Obama has become a kind of world citizen. In a small way, he belongs to everyone. All of us watch America with a sort of envy -
because what they're doing, we aren't able to do …
Le Parisien: What aren’t we able to do?
Rama Yade: To allow an Obama emerge here! For me to enter into
the government, it took all of Nicolas Sarkozy's
effort to overcome the reticence of the conservatives. They said: she's too this,
and not enough that. And, believe me, these conservatives are still there.
Nicolas Sarkozy - he's not conservative; that's what I like about him.
Le Parisien: When you talk about Obama, why do you emphasize his
age?
Rama Yade: Because that's the first thing that strikes me about
him! Do you see something else? He has three dominant traits: first, he's very
young; then, he isn't a descendant of slaves but came, through his father, from
very recent African immigration; and finally, his political career began very
recently. But that man is in the process of becoming the president of the
United States. Here, we have the impression that one must suffer for 40 years, be
scarred and dragged through the mud before earning the right to have the
highest responsibilities. And, when you get there, you don't even have the
right to be happy! But my governmental fate is in the hands of the President.
Le Parisien: So from this angle, the American model is
incomparable for you …
Rama Yade: The Obama adventure, yes, that's what makes America
magical. That is why, throughout my childhood, I dreamed of America. Imagine,
when I was young, the only Black person I saw on television was Michel Leeb, who imitated Blacks to make the public laugh.
Le Parisien: If Obama is elected, will that be a sort of revenge?
Rama Yade: No. Obama doesn't have a confrontational approach.
And neither do I. When I was appointed secretary of
state, the President told me: "Don't forget that you're not here to
represent minorities, but to represent France." He saw me for my humanity
and not through a narrow lens. And when for the first time I found myself in
New York seated at the U.N. Security Council and Ban Ki-Moon
turned to me and asked, "What is France's position?" and France was
me! That was one of the most extraordinary moments of my life! That's
post-racial, post-conflict!
Rama Yade: I already have. I would like to reinforce my local
legitimacy. And, from there, be able to represent as many French people as
possible.
Le Parisien: What do you think of the Dominique Strauss-Kahn affair?
[In the midst of the global financial meltdown, Mr. Strauss-Kahn, head of the
International Monetary Fund, has become ensnared in a sex scandal ].
Rama Yade: On one hand, it's his private life. At the same time,
I see the danger of rumors, which can have an impact on the representation of
France abroad. It's important that we be exemplary and, at the same time, that
there's no lynching. When Dominique Strauss-Kahn admitted the facts, I felt
like saying, "A fault confessed is half forgiven …"
Le Parisien: In your battles, do you take realpolitik
into account?
Rama Yade: I'm not naive: I know how necessary it is to take our
interests into account. That said, there are surely negative thinkers out here
and those who believe that human rights are an annoyance - and me along with
them!
Le Parisien: Are you afraid that if the government is reshuffled,
your post of secretary of state will be eliminated?
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Rama Yade: This isn’t my secretariat, I'm just responsible for
it. But is it possible to imagine that it was created only to be eliminated 18
months later? I don't think so. The President and the prime minister are men of
conviction and human rights are not magic words to be thrown around. It is,
above all, never-ending work.
Le Parisien: Do you want to keep doing it?
Rama Yade: It is the president who decides. Like all ministers,
my governmental fate is in his hands. I have complete confidence in him.
