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### Viewing cable 06PARIS2772, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MINISTER DESCRIBES CHALLENGES

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
06PARIS2772 | 2006-04-27 10:10 | 2011-02-10 08:08 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Paris
Appears in these articles: http://abonnes.lemonde.fr/documents-wikileaks/article/2011/02/09/wikileaks-les-visiteurs-de-l-ambassade_1477418_1446239.htm

`

    VZCZCXRO6449
    PP RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
    DE RUEHFR #2772/01 1171052
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    P 271052Z APR 06
    FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6726
    INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
    RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 PARIS 002772

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/26/2016
    TAGS: PGOV SOCI SCUL KISL PINR KPAO FR
    SUBJECT: EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MINISTER DESCRIBES CHALLENGES
    FOR FRANCE'S MINORITIES (C-DI6-00627)

    Classified By: DCM Karl Hofmann for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

    ¶1. (C) Summary: Junior Minister for Promotion of Equal
    Opportunities Azouz Begag provided the Ambassador April 19
    with a candid assessment of the current situation of
    minorities in France. Begag blamed discrimination for
    unemployment levels as high as 40 and 50 percent in many of
    the ghetto-like suburbs ringing France's major cities.
    Despite his largely pessimistic appraisal of the present
    situation and the failure of the French integration model,
    Begag noted several new programs that were working to combat
    stereotypes and fight discrimination, and looked forward to a
    more promising future for France's minority populations.
    Additionally, he cautioned against viewing France's diverse
    Muslim-descent populations as one homogeneous community, and
    described himself as a non-practicing Muslim. Begag stated
    unequivocally that his own academic experiences in the United
    States had a profound and positive influence on him. He
    implored the USG to increase exchanges with the youth of
    France's suburbs and asked the Embassy to encourage American
    companies doing business in France to lead by example in
    employment diversity efforts. End Summary.

    ¶2. (SBU) Azouz Begag met April 19 with the Ambassador, DCM,
    PolMinCouns, PolOffs, and ACAO. Prime Minister Dominique de
    Villepin named Begag the first Junior Minister (Ministre
    delegue) for Promotion of Equal Opportunity in June 2005, as
    part of his new government. Begag, born in the suburbs of
    Lyon to Algerian immigrant parents, holds a Ph.D. in
    economics and has published over 20 fiction and non-fiction
    books. Prior to joining Villepin's government, Begag worked
    on socio-economic urban issues at the government-sponsored
    National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and served as
    a member of the influential Economic and Social Council, a
    joint public-private advisory board, from 2004-2005. Begag
    taught as a visiting professor at Cornell University in 1988
    and at Philadelphia's Swarthmore College in 1998.

    First of Three Cycles: 1945-1975
    --------------------------------
    ¶3. (C) Begag explained France's evolving relationship with
    its minorities in terms of three thirty-year cycles. The
    first cycle lasted from 1945 until 1975, during which many
    immigrants were brought to France, primarily from North
    Africa, to rebuild the country after the Second World War.
    It was expected that these workers would return to their
    country of origin after their work was complete -- "the myth
    of return." They were treated as temporary residents and
    housed in transit camps and shanty towns, one which was
    Begag's birthplace. Despite this, however, the first
    generation of North African immigrants had jobs, which
    conveyed social legitimacy and gave them the possibility of
    anticipating a more positive future.

    Second Cycle: 1975-2005
    -----------------------
    ¶4. (C) The second cycle began in 1975 with the global
    economic crisis and ended in the fall of 2005 with the unrest
    in the suburbs. During this cycle, native French began to
    associate Arab immigrants and their children with OPEC and
    the high oil prices that were blamed for the economic
    downturn. The first clashes between immigrants and
    authorities began during this time, and this cycle saw the
    rise of groups such as the far-right National Front (FN).
    Begag described the surreal situation that sometimes occurred
    in the early 1980s, when the children of immigrants were not
    given French citizenship despite the fact that they were born
    on French soil and their parents, born while Algeria was
    still part of France, were themselves French citizens. If
    arrested, these individuals would often be deported to
    Algeria and had to petition for re-integration to the only
    country they had ever known.

    ¶5. (C) It was this type of double-standard that prompted the
    1983 "March of the Beurs" (beur the term used for the
    children of North African immigrants), which was fashioned to
    be France's "March on Washington." Begag expressed
    disappointment that little had been accomplished in the fight
    for equal opportunity in France since the landmark march.
    The Socialist Party leadership in power at the time had
    promised a parliament of "blond, black, and beur" to
    accurately reflect the country's shifting demographics.
    However, this had not come to pass. Instead, many immigrants
    and their children became increasingly marginalized. These
    subsequent generations were left with an identity void,
    ignorant of the country of their parents' birth but not
    accepted by France. As a result, many had sought to create
    an identity based on their cultural and religious origins,
    resulting in a "Back to Islam" movement that Begag compared
    to the efforts of Malcolm X. This lack of identity was also
    one of the root causes in the suburban violence of October

    PARIS 00002772 002 OF 004

    and November.

    ¶6. (C) Begag pointed to unemployment, which reaches levels
    as high as 40 and 50 percent in some suburbs, as another key
    factor in last fall's unrest. Even highly educated
    minorities from some of these neighborhoods -- those with
    three or four years post-high school education -- had
    difficulties finding jobs. As a result, many of the most
    gifted youth left the country for the U.S., Canada, or Great
    Britain. Other youth genuinely desire to make something of
    themselves, he said, but suffer from poor qualifications --
    lack of proper language skills, education, and training --
    aggravated by societal fear and discrimination. The
    government's recent failed CPE (First Job Contract)
    initiative had been an attempt to "extend a hand" to these
    underclass youth by attenuating employer fears they would not
    be able to fire poorly performing employees, thus giving them
    an incentive to hire candidates they might otherwise shun.

    ¶7. (C) With some bitterness, Begag observed that the
    attention lavished on the anti-CPE movement and protesting
    students had erased from French memory the suburban unrest of
    last October and November. In contrasting the two crises,
    Begag stated that those protesting the CPE were not the
    underclass youth suffering from crushing unemployment, but
    rather the more privileged students who saw a permanent job
    as a birthright. Their efforts were well coordinated and
    enjoyed extensive support from organized labor. Last fall's
    unrest, however, was not a coordinated effort. There were no
    leaders, and those responsible were unable to conceive a
    political solution to their problems. The suburban youth
    were told "you must respect the law," Begag said, and
    significant force and state power were used to restore order.
    The message to them afterwards was, "If you want change, go
    out and vote." Begag noted with irony that the anti-CPE
    protesters took to the streets to fight against a law, and
    ultimately succeeded in overturning it. Begag rhetorically
    asked how to explain the obvious double standard to the
    suburban youth.

    Third Cycle: 2005-2035?
    -----------------------
    ¶8. (C) Despite the problems of the past, Begag said he
    believed the next cycle would represent "thirty promising
    years" for minorities in France. The key factor in this
    would be employment, and the CPE setback notwithstanding,
    Begag listed a number of programs the government was
    undertaking to improve the situation. There was an effort to
    send the most gifted suburban students to France's best
    universities, a prerequisite for achieving prosperity and
    social standing in French society. For those without
    extensive academic qualifications, Begag judged the new
    provision allowing students as young as 14 to leave school
    and begin an apprenticeship as an effective way to teach them
    a trade. Begag also noted efforts to transform the suburbs
    themselves -- significant funds to tear down blighted
    high-rise housing complexes and replace them with smaller,
    neighborhood style dwellings that would impart a better sense
    of aesthetics and community.

    ¶9. (C) As part of his own efforts, Begag touted his
    ministry's new website (www.diversite-emploi.com), sponsored
    in part by the country's leading employer's association and
    Monster.fr, to promote diversity within the workplace. The
    website has job listings, useful links, and provides
    information about the legal rights of job candidates as well
    as the rights and responsibilities of employers. He also
    cited the "diversity charter," a pledge signed by many of
    France's largest companies to "reflect the diversity of
    French society and in particular its cultural and ethnic
    diversity in the workforce." One roadblock to his efforts
    was funding, Begag rued, and he hoped to encourage the
    government to reprogram some 300 million euros currently
    budgeted for "integration" of immigrants for his equal
    opportunity programs; he asked rhetorically why such money
    was going to foreigners, when it was needed by French
    citizens. As additional evidence of his optimism, Begag
    stated his belief that the next government would feature a
    minority in a high-level cabinet position, and not just one
    directly linked to an issue of France's minority population,
    such as his current role. Begag quipped that he would be
    interested in the Transport Ministry, and has past academic
    background in this area.

    Not A Homogeneous Community
    ---------------------------
    ¶10. (C) Begag explained that, in dealing with minorities,
    even the terminology used to describe them was sensitive,
    because French Republican values did not recognize ethnic
    differences. Terms like "Muslim" or "Arab" were taboo,
    although Begag often used them. However, Begag said, no one

    PARIS 00002772 003 OF 004

    term was able to completely sum up the variety and diversity
    of France's minority population. As a result, Begag
    cautioned against lumping minorities together, particularly
    those of Muslim origin, saying, "There is no one homogeneous
    Muslim community." Begag indicated that he himself was not a
    practicing Muslim. "I don't believe in God, but I think he
    believes in me," he concluded, adding that he did
    occasionally fast, which he thought was very beneficial for
    the mind and body. He did underline that there was a link
    between the frustration that France's minorities felt at
    being excluded and violent reactions, stating "If you want to
    fight terrorism, you must fight discrimination."

    Political Scene
    ---------------
    ¶11. (C) Begag stated that while he was ideologically neither
    on the right nor the left, he felt that Villepin's government
    was taking the right approach to fighting discrimination,
    despite some resistance within the ruling Union for a Popular
    Movement (UMP) party. His decision to join the government
    had angered many on the political left, who felt that
    defending minorities was "their" cause -- and voting bloc.
    In fact, he said, center-left daily Le Monde, to which he had
    previously contributed articles, has refused to print his
    pieces since he became minister. Begag refrained from
    gratuitously criticizing Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy,
    with whom he has reportedly clashed on some issues. He
    judged Sarkozy to be heavy handed at times, such as when
    choosing his words to describe the youth in the suburbs and
    in his forthcoming immigration proposal, but more open in
    other areas, such as his proposal that non-citizens be
    allowed to vote in municipal elections.

    Positive Image of U.S.
    ----------------------
    ¶12. (C) Begag was exceptionally positive about his
    experiences in the U.S., saying, "I was not the same after
    Cornell -- it changed me." He indicated that he was accepted
    without question while there, and he admired that a person
    could have multiple, complex identities, at one point musing
    whether France should adopt terms such as "Franco-Arab" or
    "Franco-African." Begag noted that one benefit to living as
    an expatriate in another country -- particularly the U.S. --
    was that it made a person more attached to his/her own
    national heritage. As a result, Begag felt that minority
    French youth could greatly benefit from visiting the U.S.,
    and he strongly encouraged the Ambassador to do all he could
    to make such exchanges possible. Noting U.S. leadership in
    workforce diversification, Begag asked the Ambassador to
    encourage American companies doing business in France to lead
    by example in this area. If French companies see how dynamic
    American firms are as a result of their diversity, perhaps
    they will increase their efforts, he reasoned.

    Comment
    -------
    ¶13. (C) Begag presented himself as a serious individual who
    has successfully transitioned from academic to political life
    and has a role to play in France's future. He acknowledged
    the fact that individuals such as himself were under
    increased public scrutiny, especially in France where the
    idea of affirmative action is an anathema to many. He hoped
    to avoid the controversy surrounding Aissa Dermouche,
    France's only Muslim prefect in the last several decades,
    whose 2004 appointment was mired by accusations that he was
    chosen for his background rather than his qualifications.
    Begag alluded that the pressure had caused Dermouche to have
    a nervous breakdown. Although he publicly rejects the idea
    of affirmative action, Begag seemed at times to struggle to
    reconcile the Republican-instilled notions of colorblindness
    espoused by the government in which he serves and the
    realities of discrimination he obviously knows to be true.

    ¶14. (SBU) Begag's enthusiasm for and appreciation of the
    U.S. are very positive indicators, and we will look for ways
    to use this to our mutual advantage, including seeking his
    advice on speakers and his possible inclusion in Embassy
    diversity outreach programs. Already, our Cultural Affairs
    section has contacted Begag's office to seek his input in
    nominations for the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellows
    Initiative: Summer Institute for Youth, a three-week program
    designed to send European students (ages 16-24) to the U.S.
    where they will participate with American youth in
    leadership, educational, and community service activities.
    We are similarly evaluating the possibility of organizing a
    Voluntary Visitor program for members of Begag's ministry to
    travel to the U.S. End Comment.

    Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
    http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm

    PARIS 00002772 004 OF 004

    Stapleton

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