Bernard Kouchner

Bernard Kouchner (born November 1 1939 in Avignon) is a French politician, diplomat, and doctor. He is co-founder of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Doctors of the World. He is currently the French minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the Fillon government, although he was considered in the past as a leftist politician.

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Humanitarian actions

Born to a Jewish father and a Protestant mother, he began his political career as a member of the French Communist Party (PCF), from which he was expelled in 1966. He worked as a physician for the Red Cross in Biafra in 1968 (during the Nigerian Civil War). He founded MSF in 1971, and then, due to a conflict of opinion with MSF chairman Claude Malhuret, the Doctors of the World ('Médecins du Monde') in 1980. Kouchner worked as a humanitarian volunteer during the Siege of Naba’a refugee camp in Lebanon in East Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War taking risks that "other foreign aid workers weren’t, even worked closely with the Shia cleric Imam Musa al-Sadr."[2]

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 Mitterand'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.

UN Representative in Kosovo

On July 15, 1999, pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1244, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan nominated Kouchner as the first UN Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo [3]. 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 three years of civil war. Thus, municipal councils were elected at local level by the end of 2000 [4]. 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.

On the US-led invasion of Iraq

Kouchner is a long-time advocate of humanitarian intervention. In early 2003, he pronounced himself in favour of removing Saddam Hussein as President of Iraq, arguing that interference against dictatorship should be a global priority, and continued to say that now, the focus should be on the actual people themselves, and that they are the only ones who could answer yes or no to war.

In a February 4, 2003 editorial with Antoine Veil in Le Monde, entitled "Neither War Nor Saddam," Kouchner said that he was opposed to the impending War in Iraq, and, as the title suggests, to the remaining in power of Saddam Hussein, the removal of whom should be accomplished via a concerted United Nations, preferably diplomatic, solution.^{[1] [2]}

Candidate for UN positions

In 2005, Kouchner was a candidate for the position of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), but lost the appointment in favor of former Portuguese Prime Minister, António Guterres, who was nominated by then-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. One of Kouchner statements on behalf of his candidature can be found on the International Council of Voluntary Agencies site.

In 2006, Kouchner was also a candidate to become Director-General of the World Health Organisation[5]. He lost before the final election round and Chinese candidate Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun was later elected.

In the Fillon government

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.^[3]

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 September 16, 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...." ^[4]. 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". ^[5] Iranian officials criticized the comments as "inflammatory"^[6]. 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.^[7]

"I would not talk about any use of force," said On September 18, 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." ^[8]

Personal life

Kouchner has four children by his first wife, Évelyne Pisier, a professor of law, and one child, Alexandre, by his present wife Christine Ockrent, a television journalist.^[9]

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 United Nations in Kosovo from 1999 to 2001.
• Health-Delegated Minister from 2001 to 2002.

Notes

1. ^ Le Monde, 4 february 2003, Ni la guerre ni Saddam
2. ^ Le Monde, 18 may 2007, La dernière mission du docteur Kouchner
3. ^ France New's Government - A study in perpetual motion, The Economist, June 23, 2007 (English)
4. ^ Iran scorns French warning of war, BBC News, September 17, 2007 (English)
5. ^ After Talk of War, Cooler Words in France on Iran, New York Times; [1]
6. ^ Ibid. BBC News, September 17, 2007
7. ^ ElBaradei concerned over Iran rowBBC Sep17, 2007
8. ^ Der Spiegel. September 17, 2007.
9. ^ Nouveau Grub Street, The Economist, May 31, 2007 (English)