Egyptian and Tunisian youth “launched the Arab Spring movement,” according to French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy spoke of the Arab Spring during the annual conference for French ambassadors. French Prime Minister Francois Fillon as well as other French ministers, members of parliament and diplomats attended the conference. “These youth demanded freedom, democracy, respect and dignity. They proved that whether you are north or south Mediterranean you have common hopes and expectations,” Sarkozy said. “They also proved that there is no such thing as an Arab exception,” he added. “This democratic earthquake reminds people of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the destruction of the Berlin Wall,” he said. It was decided at the Deauville Conference in July that U.S. $40 billion will be allocated to support Egypt and Tunisia between 2011 and 2013. Jordan and Morocco were also invited to the conference because they had achieved real democratic developments. Sarkozy also welcomed the new Libya to the Deauville Conference. “France, the UN, the Arab League, the African Union and many other countries will start a new era of cooperation with the democratic Libya,” Sarkozy said.
