Français
The French Minister for Overseas France, Manuel Valls, paid an official visit to Saint-Barthélemy on Saturday March 15. Arriving by plane from Saint-Martin shortly after 9 a.m., he immediately made his way to the hotel of the Collectivité territoriale. After a closed-door meeting lasting almost half an hour with the President, Xavier Lédée, the former Prime Minister introduced himself to the territorial councillors on the terrace overlooking the entrance to Gustavia harbor.
Manuel Valls then spoke for a few minutes, listing the issues of concern raised with the President (energy, housing, security, the economy, etc.). The Minister for Overseas France could easily have dodged the question of the local political stalemate. Nevertheless, with two days to go before a territorial council meeting at which a motion of no-confidence is to be put to the vote to force Xavier Lédée to resign from his post.vincer Xavier Lédée from the presidency in favor of Marie-Hélène Bernier (Monday at 8:30 a.m.), Manuel Valls declared: "I don't dare give advice on stability. I don't want to meddle in matters that are yours. But this stability is important to me, as a minister", an appeal to reason that the minister repeated a few minutes later in an exchange with the press. "I'm very respectful of the autonomy and independence of elected representatives. The only advice I can give is that elected representatives in positions of responsibility, faced with citizens who are always suspicious of politicians, should be aware that the general interest must be preserved. It's up to them to decide. There are still two years to go before the next renewal. But they'll do as they see fit - it's their responsibility.
Later, still on the Collectivité's terrace, the Minister met Senator Micheline Jacques (from the Saint-Barth d'Abord) and then with the first vice-president, Marie-Hélène Bernier (from the Action-Équilibre group, which tabled the no-confidence motion). This, while the other guests enjoyed coffee and viennoiserie.
The ministerial visit continued with a visit to the gendarmerie brigade in Gustavia, a quick look inside the Paprec waste management site in Public and, last but not least, a tour of the new fire station of the Service territorial d'incendie et de secours, in Saint-Jean. Manuel Valls then flew to Guadeloupe, where he will stay for two days before making a two-day visit to Martinique.
