French Minister: US Strikes on Ships Violate International Law

France considers US strikes on ships, which the American side accuses of involvement in drug trafficking, to be a violation of international law. This was stated by the country’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.

“We have been following the strikes carried out by the US in international waters with concern, which are beyond the framework of international and maritime law,” the minister said. He added that France is also deploying military personnel to combat drug trafficking, but instead of destroying suspicious ships, it arrests them in close cooperation with other countries in the region.

The minister emphasized that drug traffickers pose a threat not only to the entire Latin American region but also to the stability and security of the countries to which drugs are exported, including France. In this regard, he announced a program of actions by the Foreign Ministry aimed at strengthening the fight against drug trafficking.

“This week, I will travel to the Caribbean to present the first part of my program. First of all, I signed a framework agreement on customs cooperation with Mexico, and then I went to Colombia, where 70 percent of the world's cocaine is produced, to document our excellent results of cooperation with local authorities, especially at sea, and to strengthen our capabilities,” he stated, referring to the arrests of drug traffickers and the discovery of their warehouses with the help of the Colombian police.

“But that is not enough. We intend to increase the number of specialized personnel in these matters by 20 percent and triple their resources for intervention,” he added.

The minister promised to open a regional academy for combating organized crime by 2026. It will be based in the Dominican Republic and will annually graduate 250 investigators, judges, customs staff, and financial analysts from the special services of countries in the region.

He also announced an increase in financial assistance from Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru from €200 million to €400 million “to redirect the economies of Latin American countries towards coca alternative crops.” At the EU level, Barrot hopes to establish a sanctions regime that would allow for freezing the assets of drug traffickers and banning their entry into the cooperation area, as well as any banking activity in Europe. So far, he stated, such restrictions can only be imposed at the national level.

In addition, France and Colombia are currently working on a bilateral agreement on extradition. The minister hopes that in the coming year, similar agreements will be signed with 12 more countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.