Referring to the riots in the suburbs last autumn, Brice Hortefeux reckoned that they could well happen again because “the corrective action required by the situation is an extremely long process”. For the minister, there is a need to “break the ghetto phenomenon and a need to be very vigilant with regard to minors”.
He admitted that “Islamic proselytism is clearly on the rise and is impacting disenfranchised population groups but also women”. The minister said that there was a need to take extremely seriously recent statements by Salafist terrorists of Algerian origin who have made allegiance to al-Quaeda and have identified France as the number one enemy.
With only a few months to go to the French presidential elections, Brice Hortefeux indicated that Nicolas Sarkozy “would continue to advance true to his convictions”, even if at times that puts him at odds with a part of the political microcosm.
Brice Hortefeux went on to say to the leaders and friends of CRIF that he had strongly encouraged Nicolas Sarkozy to go to the United States for the fifth anniversary of 9/11. He noted that “there is a significant gap between the anti-American stance of a small minority and the general population which remembers that the United States are our allies and that they have on several occasions come to our defense”.
Brice Hortefeux, reminding his audience that the President of the United States never receives political personalities other than Presidents or Heads of Government, added: “By receiving Nicolas Sarkozy, he has therefore clearly wanted to send a strong signal”.
Referring to Iran, Brice Hortefeux considered “the repeated statements made by the Iranian President to be disgraceful: he denies the Holocaust and wants to wipe Israel off the map”. On the nuclear issue, Brice Hortefeux reminded his audience of the French position, considering that it is unacceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons. He noted that on August 22 Iran refused the proposal made by the international community, offering to help Teheran acquire civilian nuclear capability if it gave up enriched uranium. “Faced with the Iranian refusal, there are two possible attitudes: sanctions as suggested by the United States, or the graded attitude suggested by the French President, who recommends pursuing dialogue without excluding resorting to sanctions, in case of failure,” concluded the minister.
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