French President's Top Diplomat Ortiz dies eve of WW1 Anniversary when US-led EUsanctions hit Russia

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- It's at the Anniversary of the Murder of famous French Politician, Journalist and Pacifist Jean-Jaures, that suddenly died a key Diplomat and the closest Counselor of French President Hollande in Foreign Policy, Paul Jean Ortiz, who was the only person to follow him at the 1st Official trip abroad to meet in Berlin with German Chancelor Angie Merkel back on May 2012, and later told "EuroFora", on the sidelines of an EU Summit in Brussels, that he was astonished by German Industry's capacity to offer, together with High-Tech products (as High-Speed Trains, etc), even all their ICT "secret" ideas, so that they succeeded to win Chinese markets even in front of strong International Competition. (probably because SIEMENS a.o. systematically stimulated new High-Tech Innovations each time, so that their New products would arrive always Higher than the previous ones)...

Adding to the exceptional circumstances surrounding this unexpected by many loss of a particularly experienced Senior Official at the Top of French Diplomacy, appreciated by a Wide Political Horizon, it occurs at the eve of the 100th Anniversary of the beginning of the 1st World War, (1914-1919), that French and German Presidents Hollande and Gauck are due to commemorate together this Sunday, August 2, at nearby Hartmannswillerkopf (Higher-Rhine), and even the same Day that, for the 1st time, notoriously USA-pushed Economic "Sanctions" of a so-called "3rd Level", i.e. due to affect also key Sections of Economic activities and High-Tech equipments, etc., were announced in Brussels against Russia, exceptionally in the total absence of all EU Heads of State/Government, simply through a "written" procedure operating without any Public Debate via relevant Bureaucracies of the 28 EU Member Countries, right in the middle of torrid Summer Mass Holidays, while  atrocious Killings even of innocent Civilians, including Women, Elders and Children, were not only repeated in the Middle-East long tragic Crisis, but also in Europe, for the 1st Time since the 2nd World War, where Kiev Government's Military Attacks against Dissident Regions of Donetsk/Luhansk were continuing, provoking more and more Destructions even of Family Homes, Water/Electricity/Communications' networks and making more and more innocent Victims at Eastern Ukraine, despite recent UNO and EU Parliament's calls and Resolutions asking for various Cease-Fire and/or at least to protect Civilians.

 

Jean-Ortiz had apparently hoped, in the Past, for an Agreement with Russia, particularly on Syria, as it is indicated by what he had said to "EuroFora" on this issue previously, during an EU Summit in Brussels, (Comp., f.ex., on this and other China-related matters : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/frenchpresidentsdipomaticadvisoronchina.html).

Of Spanish origin, by his Republican Father (as also the current Prime Minister of France, Manuel Valls), Ortiz was notoriously a Key person and the closest to French President Hollande not only on China-related issues, (his well known beloved issue No 1), but also on certain other Stategic matters, such as f.ex. that of the Defense Aide given to Mali's Government, since 12 January 2013, against growing brutal aggressions by mainly foreign Islamic armed Extremist Groups abusing of Terrorism, (f.ex. at the strategic for a huge Trans-Saharian Pipeline project, Northern area of the Country, where was recently destroyed a Civilian Airplane AH-5017 killing inter alia also 55 French People, in non-elucidated yet circumstances, shortly after a Malaysian AIrlines plane MH-17 crashed in the middle of East Ukraine's Fights between still on-going Kiev Army's Military Attacks and defensers of the Dissident "Autonomist" Regions, in controversial circumstances of a possible Missile strike, for which both sides reject the responsibility to the other, with many Fake Audio/Video/INTW data circulating around that strange incident, which suddenly bursted out, provoking immediately a Mass Mediatic" Tsunami" which captivated International Public Opinion, just a few Hours after a quasi-Unanimous EU Parliament's Resolution in Strasbourg calling to stick to a CeaseFire, Protect Civilians, and to start an inclusive Dialogue for a Political Solution to the Ukranian Conflict, which was overshadowed, while Kiev's Military Attacks persist atrociously killing even more innocent Civilians at the Dissident Areas until Today).

While aged just 57 Years, Ortiz's sudden tragic disappearance, (after being reportedly hit by a curiously fast but deadly "Cancer" only some Months ago, according to initial anouncements, or "a Year ago", as it was reported later-on), by a Double Coincidence the same Date that World-famous French Pacifist Politician Jean Jaures had been Murdered, at the eve of a Catastrophic 1st World War, and the same Day that USA-led EU Sanctions hit Russia in the midde of a Tragic Ukranian Conflict with persisting  Kiev's Military Attack atrociously making more and more Civilian Victims almost every Day, while Middle-East's too frequently re-occuring Deadly Clashes re-started recently and rapidly spreaded from the West Bank and Tel Aviv to Gaza, in parallel with a recently growing series of Armed Terrorist Attacks of Extremist Islamist Ungurs against China, where a strange Separatist Group notoriously aims to establish by Violent Force an "East Turkmenistan", almost at the same moment that various other Extremist Islamist Terrorist armed Groups notoriously spread their Deadly Violent Attacks also throughout Syria and Iraq (f.ex. ISIL), but also Nigeria in Africa (f.ex. Boco Haram, etc), certainly cannot stay unnoticed, given also a Kind Human touch by that particularly Experienced, Top Senior French Diplomat, who offered his advise to Frech President Hollande even until the last minutes of his life, yesterday evening, as he anounced Today.

 - "Fascinated by China, to the point to fluently use its Language, he contributed to promote the French policy in Asia", observed in an official statement at the Hommage of Paul Jean-Ortiz, earlier Today French President Hollande, who regretted also the "loss, not only of a Diplomatic Counselor", but also of "a discreet and faithful Friend", "fine, subtle and cultivated", with "an elegant Spirit and an intelligence of situations, that he offered, during all his career, at the service of the interests of France", as he said, while expressing also his "gratefulness and friendship" to Ortiz's Widow, Sarah and their Daughters.

After serving at various French Embassies mainly in China, but also in Vietnam and Spain, Ortiz had been promoted at the Foreign Ministry in Paris as Director responsible for Asia and Oceania during former French President Nicolas Sarkozy since 2009, (close to whom was also former Socialist President Francois Mitterand's Secretary General at Elysee Palace, and former Foreign Minister, Hubert Vedrine, at the Cabinet of whom had worked Ortiz : Comp. various Vedrine's statements to "EuroFora"s co-Founder, published either at TCWeekly, MPA or EuroFora in the Past), while even former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin (a ChristianDemocrat/EPP, who worked with former long-time President Jacques Chirac between 2002-2005, now Senator and one of the Leaders of main Opposition party UMP) paid Today Hommage by writting  to "a Great Diplomat at the Top of France's public service", also reportedly appreciated by French Foreign Ministry's current Press Spokesman, Romain Nadal.

I.e. one of those rare, experienced Senior Civil Servants, as also currently Jean-Pierre Jouyet, who had notoriously served as former Head of Cabinet for EU Commission President Jacques Delors (PSoc.) and former Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, appointed Director of National Treasury during former President Jacques Chirac (a ChristianDemocrat/EPP), and named by his successor, former French President Sarkozy as f. Minister for EU Affairs (in the 1st Government of f. Prime Minister Francois Fillon), and afterwards  f. Head of the Authority for Financial Markets, before being appointed by current French President Hollande as Chief of successively 2 big Public Banks and recently chosen, since Spring 2014, as the New Secretary General of the Presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, (comp. various  Jouillet's statements to "EuroFora"s co-Founder, published on TCWeekly or at EuroFora). There where Ortiz's Friend, Jacques Audibert, former Political Director at the Foreign Ministry, to whom he had Delegated a part of his former responsibilities, had already started to work mainly on G8-G7 and other Multilateral relations, since May 2014.

While adding "EuroFora"s sincere condoleances to his Family, it's also a fact that it might be a real challenge to succceed to Jean-Ortiz, particularly there where he was the Ideal Person : F.ex. in order to eventually design in concreto a Project that "EuroFora" had briefly Highlighted to President Hollande when he visited recently Strasbourg's University to meet here with Nobel prize Winners Lehn and Karplus, as well as Professor Marescaux, President of IRCAD, back on January 2014, receiving in reply a Positive in principle Answer, about a possible Future "Link" between a planned Franco-German University of Upper Rhine and China, particularly at Shanghai's prestigious French, German and Chinese Higher Education/Research Institutions, (where he had inaugurated on 2013 the "Paris-Tech" Engineers' Institute), to which was also Added, later-on, an even more specific Positive Response by the competent President of Strasbourg's University, Professor Beretz himself, at a relevant Question by "EuroFora", during a meeting organized by Strasbourg's Press Club, about the possibility to develop joint, if not yet EU, or €uroArea, at least Franco-German Universities' European/International Representations vis a vis other important Colleges and Universities at key Countries accross the World, such as China, a.o., (along the lines of an original Idea initially advanced by "EuroFora"s Scientific counsellor, Dr. Constantin Marcopoulos, currently himself in Shanghai, who had a chance to experience f.ex. the practical efficiency of equivalent links set up by American Universities, etc). Something which would possibly be part, after the February 19, 2014, Franco-German inter-Governemental Summit, together with Chancellor Angie Merkel at the Elysee Palace in Paris, also at the next occasion of an adequate Franco-German Summit Hollande - Merkel, in the foreseable Future : In real practice, once a Decision is taken, this could be done in "about  2 or 3 Months" only, Strasbourg University's President Beretz had replied to "EuroFora" at that latest occasion, when he spoke more widely, about mainly that Franco-German joint University prospects, (Comp. Supra on the May 15 event here, + relevant "DraftNews" already sent to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors earlier).

+ The supplementary fact that, in addition to boosting the pre-existing cooperation between the French Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Education system, a new, forthcoming development is the anouncement, by French Education Ministry's competent Director Marc Rolland, at an interesting recent Conference of the International Center of Pedagogical Education (CIEP) on "Educational trends in Asia"(12/6/2014), the creation of Bi-lingual/Tri-Lingual Classes in in many Chinese Colleges from 2015, is certainly be something that Jean-Ortiz (who notoriously learnt and spoke Chinese since long), would also welcome.  A concrete perspective which, moreover, would fit well German Minister for European/International Cooperation in Education and Culture, experienced Dr. Maria Böhmer's credo about "a Good Quality Education" being helpful, inter alia, also for Young People to"find a Good Job" and for a succesful Social Integration, particularly in these times of Global Crisis, (as Böhmer had stressed earlier to "EuroFora", on the sidelines of a meeting with Chancelor Angie Merkel at Ludwigshafen), adding to the Potential of probable Franco-German joint projects in the above mentioned direction, (Comp. Supra). Particularly after Yesterday's official declaration in Berlin, by EU Ministers of France, Germany and Italy, Desir, Roth and Gozi, on boosting "Europe's Competitiveness and Social Cohesion", including in relation to Young People, (30.7.2014).

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