Jean-Pierre Raffarin Quotes
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I think that we must come together progressively, with the British, the Germans, the Spanish, the Italians and with the new members of the European Union, we must make an effort to forge closer links.
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When I see the cultural diversity that exists today, I feel that we must defend it, and we need Europe, because otherwise we are going to live in a society with a single model, the Anglo-American model.
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We shall say clearly that any symbol conspicuously displaying religious affiliation in school is prohibited.
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It's true that the question of Iraq divided Europe.
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We have come a long way in terms of foreign policy.
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Let them be reassured, it has never been one of our intentions to ban religion in society, but solely to protect the national education system from any conspicuous display of religious affiliation.
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Europe started out with six countries; three small countries and three large countries.
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I tell fundamentalists that there is no question of them attacking our Republic's foundations.
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This constitution recognises the need for social dialogue involving labour and management; it involves trade unions in the decision-making process; it has a social vision founded on social dialogue.
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We believe that the European Union is facing a truly historic choice.
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I was a Member of the European Parliament for a period of time and I saw a lot of European laws and treaties.
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We feel an enormous sense of gratitude towards the American people.
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What's very important is that we build a space that matters in the world, one that operates according to democratic rules, and that small and large countries enjoy a good relationship.
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But the Republic has its rules and it must not tolerate any abuse of them.
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There have been major disagreements within the European Union.
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Prohibiting a visible religious sign, which isn't a manifestation of militancy, would look like a fight against religions.
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The United States, for a French citizen, is a friend, an ally, to whom we owe, along with most Europeans, our freedom.
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I believe that transatlantic relations are very important and that President Bush's visit to Brussels, in a few days, will have a major impact on that.
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Obviously, there is diversity, but Europe is a union of diversity.
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I think that the proposed constitution is one of the European legal documents with the strongest social dimension I have seen since I began following European issues.
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It's a different outlook, and one that I understand. When you are a former member of the Warsaw Pact, when you have lived behind the Berlin Wall, when you have experienced the communist systems that existed in these countries, for them, the West represents hope.
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France has a very important relationship with Germany. But that does not mean that we agree about everything or that two of our universities or companies are not going to compete.
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A country like France now does two-thirds of its trade within the euro zone.
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We would like UN resolutions to be enforced, including on Iraq.