Kavi: Thank you very much Mr President for receiving me. We are very excited to welcome you on your state visit to Thailand, the first by a French head of state for 321 years. What are your feelings now, just before your visit?

Chirac: I am very happy to have been invited to make this visit and to be coming back to Thailand once again. I say “once again” because this is not my first visit to Thailand.

I am happy for many reasons. First, I have always had a keen interest in and a lot of admiration for the arts and civilisation of Thailand, and this has been the case for many years. I had the opportunity to visit a number of locations in Thailand and I have always been very admiring. So I am happy to be going there again, to a country whose civilisation I love and respect.

The second reason is that there is in Thailand a way of life which is very pleasant and welcoming. The people you meet are warm and open. As you walk around Bangkok, one is struck by the harmony between modernity and tradition.

The third reason is economic. Thailand is undergoing considerable growth today that, in my opinion, is likely to continue and gather pace. This is the reason why France wants to develop stronger economic ties.

France is Thailand’s second-largest economic partner in Europe. There are already strong ties between us and we have shared interests. The projects put forward by the prime minister are very ambitious and aimed at establishing closer cooperation between Thailand and France in many fields.

Finally, there is a fourth reason, of a political nature, and naturally, there is no judgement on your internal affairs. Thailand is today a stable democracy and it is very important for France to have stable and warm political relations with such a country, which is at the very heart of the development of Asia. As you pointed out, the relations between us date back more than three centuries.

Do you see Thailand as the pillar of France’s policy towards Southeast Asia?

Yes, without any doubt. Thailand has a natural vocation, given its political weight and geographical situation, to be a key player in the political strategy of Europe in general and of France in particular, towards Asia.

Do you want to strengthen cooperation between Thailand and France on the economic level? Is this also true of the security aspect?

In economic terms, our relations are excellent and I think they can go considerably further, in particular in view of the economic development of Thailand and the major projects on which we are working together. I personally want to give an impetus to develop them even more strongly.

In security terms, we are also keen to strengthen our ties with Thailand and this is one of the subjects that I will be discussing with the prime minister. I believe that it is absolutely right and proper for us to strengthen our ties in this field. You know, these relations are not new: was not King Rama VII one of the companions of General de Gaulle at the military academy?

Have you already met His Majesty the King?

I met His Majesty briefly when he was young. I also had the opportunity of visiting him, some 15 years ago, when I was mayor of Paris. I travelled to Thailand where I met the governor of Bangkok and His Majesty did me the honour of receiving me.

We had an extremely interesting discussion about farming, stockbreeding in particular. He is a great expert in the field of farming, as well as in other fields, and is very well aware of the problems of stockbreeding. In fact, he showed me around his farm where there were many fine breeds, cattle in particular. He was planning to import cattle from my home province of Limousin into Thailand.

In which language did you converse? You no doubt know that the King speaks French.

Yes, I do know that, but protocol requires His Majesty to speak in Thai and myself in French, so we spoke through an interpreter.

This year, the King will become the longest-reigning monarch in the world.

Yes, 60 years!

So this is a very special visit, as you will be the first official guest to come to our country in this very special year.

This gives me great pleasure. I am particularly pleased that His Majesty has decided to host a dinner in my honour.

We will also be having some in-depth talks on economic issues with the prime minister, and we will have a meeting to discuss economic matters with business leaders from France and Thailand.

You know that I am bringing French company heads with me. Indeed, as soon as it became known that I was planning this visit, many captains of industry asked whether they could come along with me.

I can’t bring them all, of course, but there will be at least 30. I selected representatives of large, mid-sized and small businesses.

You know that almost 350 French companies are already present and represented in Thailand. We have a plan to encourage other French companies to establish themselves there with the aim of doubling the number of French companies active in Thailand over the next few years.

Indeed, there is very positive sentiment in favour of Thailand among French businessmen, and a great deal of confidence.

Concerning your idea of a tax on airplane tickets, how could Thailand assist you as an emerging donor country?

The problem of development will be an issue of increasing importance for the future of our planet. We will not be able to achieve the Development Goals set by the United Nations if we rely simply on official development aid from the different states. If we do not change things, we will in fact see a decline of the developing countries, with all the related negative fall out, in moral and political terms.

So we have to find innovative means of funding development and indeed, along with a number of heads of state, we have launched a campaign in favour of this idea.

Everything has to start somewhere, which is why I suggested implementing a levy on air transport as a first, experimental measure. This airplane ticket levy will in fact have zero impact on air transport, which, anyway, is highly polluting and does not pay anything as a result. The proceeds of this experimental contribution would be allocated to combating major pandemics, such as HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria.

Here we expect three things from Thailand.

First, its support – and we already have this. Secondly, that it attends, at ministerial level, the international meeting that we are organising at the end of February in Paris with the 70 countries that have agreed in principle to this levy, to discuss ways and means of implementing it.

And thirdly, that it should be one of the first countries, alongside France, to show the way by implementing a solidarity levy.

Do you believe that developing countries will be quick to join this idea?

Yes, developing countries undoubtedly will, since it is in their interests. What I would like is that developed countries like France, Thailand and the USA join ranks with the others.

A question about Burma: Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for 14 years and in July France will take the presidency of the Security Council for one month. There will be attempts to put the Burmese issue on the official agenda of the Security Council. What would be the French position?

You know our views on the situation in Burma: we disapprove of this regime and actively call for the release of all political prisoners, in particular Aung San Suu Kyi.

We are for democracy and the restoration of freedom. Of course, the key responsibility in this field belongs primarily to Asian countries.

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Written questions to Chirac
As the first French president to visit Thailand, what are your expectations of this historic trip?
I was particularly happy to accept the invitation of Their Majesties King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit, for whom the French people entertain feelings of profound respect.
State visits are always highly symbolic moments in the relations between countries. This visit will give both Thailand and France an opportunity to celebrate our long history of relations and even more important, to create new perspectives for these ties that have spanned many centuries, commensurate with the position occupied by your country, which provides an excellent example of democratic evolution and strong economic development.
It will also give the Thai people an opportunity to understand France better and allow French people to discover the modernity of Thailand, which they are visiting in ever-growing numbers.
Finally, when Thailand was hit by the tsunami, the French population as a whole experienced not only feelings of personal involvement and solidarity but also gratitude for the assistance given to our compatriots. These highly significant gestures create closer ties between peoples.
I am happy that my visit to Bangkok will allow me to express my gratitude and that of my compatriots, while also paying tribute to the memory of the victims of this disaster.

Looking back over 300 years, how happy are you with the current state of Thai-Franco cooperation and friendship? Has the Thai-France Plan of Action, signed in 2004, helped to accelerate bilateral cooperation?
I have every confidence in the future of our relations. Three hundred years of friendship have created a solid base on which it is our duty to build. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and myself adopted a bilateral plan of action in 2003. We have already achieved its objectives in every field and are now ready to take it even further.
Our political relations have been revitalised. I have received the prime minister in France twice since 2003 and we have met at the Asem [Asia-Europe Meeting] summits. Your country knows that it can count on the support of France, as was the case for gaining access to the European market for Thai shrimp, a matter on which I was in direct contact with the prime minister.
We are seeing promising developments in our cultural and human exchanges.
Thailand and France have created an exceptional network of scientific and technical cooperation that is enjoying very rapid development.

Last year’s two-way trade was less than ¤3 billion [Bt140 billion], which is still small in comparison with other countries. What are concrete ways to remove Thai-France trade barriers and promote trade?
Trade between us is still inadequate, despite the fact that our companies have all the strengths required to meet the needs of Thailand, as defined, for instance, in the “Thailand, a partner in development” programme.
Nevertheless, I have observed rapid progress. In the first half of 2005, trade between us rose by 35 per cent. France is now Thailand’s second-largest European trading partner and third-largest investor, with a total investment of more than US$520 million [Bt20.47 billion], a situation that reflects the confidence of French companies in Thailand’s development.
Another sign of this interest is the delegation of company CEOs that has accompanied me to Bangkok. Over the past few months, Suez Energie, Sanofi, Saint Gobain and Michelin have made substantial new investments. We are keen to mobilise 400 additional companies over the next few months.
Tariff and non-tariff barriers affecting certain flagship French products in the food industry, luxury goods industry and automobile industry, for example, curb French exports. Pro-gress in this field would facilitate the strengthening of the ties between us.

Thailand and France have a long history of diplomatic finesse in promoting peace and stability in their respective regions. Why is it that they have not been able to take common initiatives in this area? Does France still want to pursue its long-held goal of becoming a member of the Asean Regional Forum?
Our political ties date back many years. This year we are celebrating the 320th anniversary of the famous Siamese Embassy to the Court of Versailles and the 150th anniversary of the first treaty of friendship between Thailand and France inspired by His Majesty King Rama IV and Napoleon III.
Our two countries share a common vision of international relations, in the search for peace and harmony. We were, alongside Singapore, the major promoters of dialogue between Asean [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] and the European Union. Thailand and France were intimately involved in the project of dialogue between Asia and Europe, whose first summit was held in Bangkok in 1996.
We have worked together to promote cultural diversity at Unesco [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation] and we stood alongside each other with United Nations forces in East Timor and in the AMM [Aceh Monitoring Mission].
As a way of marking the commitment of France, I was keen to announce in Bangkok, where the founding text of Asean was promulgated, our readiness to associate ourselves with the Asean Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.

In 1999 Thailand and France discussed their security and strategic views aiming at promoting the Europe-Asia security dialogue. Is there any progress related to Europe’s security role in Asia? What kinds of activities and programmes do you want to see Thailand and Asean cooperate with France and the EU in counter-terrorism campaigns?
The world is having to face threats that ignore national borders and affect all of us.
Terrorism, piracy and organised crime call for intensive and lasting mobilisation and reinforcement of our cooperation initiatives. This is why Europe is committed, notably alongside the countries of Asean, to an ambitious policy of sharing experience, training programmes and donation of equipment, either on a bilateral basis or within the framework of the G8 working group against terrorism.
Faced with strategic risks, France was one of the first European countries to establish formal, regular dialogue with its Asian partners. We discuss all the different questions of international security, non-proliferation, defence and weapons with Japan, China, India, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

In what ways have Thailand and France, as members of the Asia-Europe Meeting, been working together?
Since the Bangkok summit in 1996, the Asem summits have provided an opportunity for in-depth discussions on the main political and security questions, from combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to the reform of the United Nations. Our two countries monitor these different issues.
Thailand and France, which have a similar sensibility, establish regular contact with the aim of nourishing the reflection of our European and Asian partners.
During my visit, I will be consulting Thailand on the idea of more closely associating Javier Solana, our high representative for European policy and common security, with our work, as a way of strengthening the institutional links between the European Union and Asem. I know that in Thailand you are also thinking around ways of stimulating the work of this important forum.
I have high hopes that these exchanges will further reinforce relations between Asia and Europe.

Is the emerging East Asian Community a threat to the EU?
Quite the contrary! Regional integration makes for peace, stability and growth. France follows the emergence of new cooperative institutions with great attentiveness and often associates itself with them as a development partner.

What are the prospects for an Asean-EU free-trade agreement by 2010?
France is pleased with the progress of Asian economic and monetary cooperation around Asean, in which Thailand is a key player. We see this as an important element for stability and growth throughout the entire region.
The European Union and France are keen to reinforce economic and commercial ties with Asean and its members, as can be seen from the partnership agreement now being negotiated and the work of the “Vision Group” around the prospect of a free-trade agreement.

How do you view the rise of China and its impact on Asia and overall Asia-Europe relations?
The rise of China is one of the most important phenomena of our time. It is up to us to discover ways of taking advantage of this trend to build a harmonious, multipolar world.
China, which has been a permanent member of the Security Council for many years, already participates actively in efforts to ensure international peace and security and combat the dangers of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It is making a growing contribution to UN humanitarian and peace-keeping operations.
This great country must take its rightful place and accept all its responsibilities in formal and informal multilateral bodies where the great economic, ecological, cultural and social challenges arising from globalisation are discussed.
France entertains with China a strategic dialogue based on trust that allows us to tackle all these questions and which, I believe, is working in this direction.
Finally, I believe that the impressive economic growth rate of China should enable it to complete its economic and social transformation through a determination to advance further on the path of democracy and freedom.

How do you assess Thailand’s bid for the UN secretary-general’s position?
It is perfectly legitimate for Thai-land, a great country with a strong attachment to peace, to present a candidate. I have had several opportunities to meet Deputy Prime Minis-ter Surakiart Sathirathai, who is an experienced and much respected man.
When the time comes, France will discuss the choice of the next secretary-general of the UN with its partners. This choice will be made bearing in mind that the successor to Kofi Annan must be a name that unites the international community and that he or she must possess the skills and authority required to carry out satisfactorily this very important function. The candidate must also be able to express him/herself in the two languages of the United Nations, French and English.