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Cameroon: Tête-à-tête at Unity Palace
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Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé)
21 May 2008
Posted to the web 21 May 2008
Richard Kwang Kometa
Ahead of the 20 May National Day celebration in Cameroon, President Paul Biya's special guest for the occasion, Brice Hortefeux was granted a 1:30 minutes audience at Unity Palace on Monday 19 May 2008. The French Minister of Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Co-development, Brice Hortefeux, who arrived in Cameroon on Sunday, had a state reception at Unity Palace during which he was knighted as Commander of the National Order of Valour by the Head of state.
Before the distinction, President Paul Biya and Brice Hortefeux had a tête-à-tête during which both men reviewed issues of bilateral cooperation between France and Cameroon. Top on the agenda was the question of immigration and the new French emigration policy.
During a State lunch that followed the audience, President Biya and Minister Hortefeux offered toasts in honour of relations between both countries. Mr Biya in his toast recalled the long history of ties between Cameroon and France and the constant efforts by peoples of both countries to update their relations. President Biya identified some of the reasons pushing most young Africans away from their countries and said Cameroon was doing everything possible to create conditions that could check the nagging problem of brain drain. He said Cameroon had found out that a return to agriculture could be a viable solution to recent problems of hunger and high cost of living that most countries face. However, the President noted that the national economies of most African countries still had structural difficulties to provide enough jobs to contain the high demand in the labour market.
He hailed French support to Cameroon saying Cameroon, has in recent times embarked on efforts to modernise State institutions. The President appreciated the confidence that France has always had in Cameroon and continues to defend Cameroon in international institutions.
Responding to President Biya's toast, Minister Brice Hortefeux recalled French President Nicolas Sarkozy's new immigration policy which requires that foreigners entering French soil be carefully selected. He said France like any country had the right to decide who could enter her national territory.
Before the lunch during which the two toasts were offered, the president, apart from national distinctions given his French guest also offered him a well decorated calabash. The French Minister equally handed over a gift to President, Paul Biya.
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While the French Minister was accompanied at the Unity Palace by the French Ambassador to Cameroon, Georges Serre and a host of other dignitaries from France, the President of the Republic had as entourage during the lunch, the Ministers of State Marafa Hamidou Yaya and Laurent Esso who is also Secretary General at the Presidency. There was also the Minister, Assistant Secretary General at the Presidency, Rene Sadi, who is equally the Secretary General of the Central Committee of the ruling CPDM party, the Minister of Finance, Essimi Menye, the Minister of Culture, Ama Tutu Muna, the Minister Delegate at the Ministry of External Relations in charge of Relations with the Commonwealth, Joseph Dion Ngute, and the Delegate General for National Security, Edgard Alain Mebe Ngo'o.
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