Bernard Kouchner

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Bernard Kouchner : biography

1 November 1939 –

UN Representative in Kosovo

On 15 July 1999, pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1244, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan nominated Kouchner as the second UN Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). During 18 months, he led UN efforts to create a new civil administration and political system replacing the Serbian ones, and to rebuild the economy shattered by the Kosovo War. Thus, municipal councils were elected at local level by the end of 2000. He was replaced on 21 January 2001 by Danish Social Democrat Hans Hækkerup. He became at this time Minister of Health for the third time, until the 2002 Elections. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Pristina for his services to Kosovo.

French Foreign Minister

After the election of Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007, Kouchner was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in François Fillon’s government, even though Kouchner supported Sarkozy’s Socialist rival Ségolène Royal during the campaign. He has since been expelled from the Socialist Party for his acceptance of the post., The Economist, June 23, 2007 He was dismissed in the November 2010 Fillon cabinet reshuffle.

Comments on Iran nuclear situation

In September 2007, Kouchner’s public comments on the Iranian nuclear situation attracted much attention and controversy. In an interview on 16 September 2007, he said, "We will negotiate until the end. And at the same time we must prepare ourselves […] for the worst…. The worst, it’s war…."., BBC News, 17 September 2007 He stated that France was committed to a diplomatic resolution and that no military action was planned, but that an Iranian nuclear weapon would pose "a real danger for the whole world"., New York Times; Iranian officials criticized the comments as "inflammatory". The chief UN nuclear inspector Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency indirectly responded to Kouchner by characterizing talk of attacking Iran as "hype", saying the use of force should only be considered as a last resort and only if authorized by the UN Security Council. BBC Sep17, 2007

"I would not talk about any use of force", he said. On 18 September 2007, Kouchner attempted to respond to criticisms. In comments to newspaper Le Monde, he stated, "I do not want it to be said that I am a warmonger! […] My message was a message of peace, of seriousness and of determination. […] The worst situation would be war. To avoid that, the French attitude is to negotiate, negotiate, negotiate, without fear of being rebuffed, and to work with our European friends on credible sanctions.". September 17, 2007.

Comments on the Irish ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon

In the run up to the referendum in the Republic of Ireland on the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon, Kouchner warned that any "No" vote towards the treaty would be detrimental to Ireland and the Irish economy. He also commented that "It would be very, very awkward if we were not able to count on the Irish, who have often counted on Europe.". 11 June 2008 His comments were dismissed as "unhelpful" by leading Irish politicians, and some media commentators have suggested that his remarks may have galvanised the "No" campaign in the run up to the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty on 13 June 2008. 13 June 2008

Comments on the European Union and a unity government for Zimbabwe

On 1 July 2008, France assumed presidency of the Council of the European Union. In his capacity as the French foreign minister, he commented after the African Union summit, that The European Union would only recognise a Zimbabwe unity government headed by Morgan Tsvangirai not Robert Mugabe.. 1 July 2008

Use of condoms to prevent AIDS in Africa

Kouchner denounced statements by Pope Benedict XVI claiming that condoms promoted AIDS, saying they were "the opposite of tolerance and understanding".

Minister in left-wing governments

From 1988, he began his government career in Socialist governments, though he was not always a member of the French Socialist Party. He became ‘Secrétaire d’état’, a lower position in the Cabinet, for Humanitarian Action in 1988, then Minister of Health in 1992, under Mitterrand’s presidency. Later, he continued his political career in the European Parliament. Between 1993 and 1997, France was governed by right governments.

When Lionel Jospin became Prime Minister in 1997, he became Minister of Health for the second time.

Positions held

  • Became the first "Secrétaire d’état" (lower ministerial cabinet) in charge of humanitarian action from 1988 to 1992 (in the Michel Rocard cabinet.)
  • Health Minister in 1992–1993 (under Pierre Bérégovoy).
  • Member of the European Parliament from 1994 to 1997.
  • Health Minister from 1997 to 1999. (under Lionel Jospin)
  • Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the UN in Kosovo from 1999 to 2001.
  • Health-Delegated Minister from 2001 to 2002.
  • Foreign Minister from 2007 to 2010.