The context: the Gulf War (1990-1991)
In 1991, the international context was tense. A war dubbed "the Gulf War" is taking place between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and a coalition of 34 states supported by the United Nations. This war followed the invasion of Kuwait by the Iraqi army. Iraq then indebted (150% of its Gross Domestic Product) following the long and costly war, which opposed it to Iran, demands from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to which it is indebted to the tune of 45 and 15 billion to cancel its debt but also to donate a sum of equal value to it. He threatens these two countries with armed reprisals in the event of disagreement. The refusal of Kuwait to allow free access to Iraq to the Persian Gulf and a fortiori to the sea and the indictments of Kuwait of drilling on the Iraqi side are the culmination of the antagonisms between the two countries.
The attempt at mediation between the two countries, attempted by the Americans, failed on July 30, 1991, and on August 2, 1991, Iraq invaded Kuwait.
In this Gulf War, the international coalition is using its air supremacy to destroy Iraq's military-industrial complex. The coalition is led by the USA, with over 535,000 troops, and France, with 19,000.
The war ended on February 28, 1991, with the liberation of Kuwait by the coalition.
The meeting: March 14, 1991
On March 14, 1991, the Habitation Clément was chosen to welcome Presidents François Mitterrand (President of France 1981-1995) and George H.W. Bush (President of the United States 1989-1993) during a Franco-American summit following the Gulf War. On Thursday, March 14, 1991, Air Force One, an American presidential plane, landed at Fort de France airport from Canada, where the American President had just met Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.
Martinique was chosen because President Bush's busy agenda required him to meet several heads of state in the American-Caribbean zone. Moreover, after Martinique, it was in Bermuda that George Bush went to meet the British Prime Minister John Major before returning to Washington on Sunday, March 17.
In addition, George Bush loved the islands of the Caribbean, which he considered to be resorts and privileged economic partners of the United States. He often chose the different islands of the Caribbean as a place of rest when he was on vacation during his presidency.
At the time, relations between France and America were not in good shape, although the two countries were part of the coalition. The reasons for the differences between France and America were their positions towards the Palestine Liberation Organization. If France has courteous relations with the PLO, America does not recognize the existence of the PLO, especially since the latter took part in the Gulf War by supporting Iraq. Bush arrives in Martinique with the firm intention of declaring his disappointment to Mitterrand over Palestine.
In Martinique, the economic context is difficult (mass unemployment, decline in purchasing power, job insecurity, competition from the dollar banana). Some unions and demonstrators see it as an opportunity to highlight these problems and march through the streets of Fort-de-France before the arrival of the leaders to protest against the many economic and social problems of Martinique and demand effective measures. They are kept away from the summit, which will take place at the Habitation Clément au François.
In this highly symbolic place in the history of Martinique, the two men first shake hands warmly in front of the many journalists and photographers before withdrawing to undertake private discussions. The meeting lasts two hours. They take a tour of several subjects such as Iraq, Israel and Palestine, the Maghreb, or even security in Europe.
The major theme of the summit, however, was the prospects for peace in the Middle East. At the press conference, which concludes the meeting, the differences of position between the United States and France are numerous, and the two men struggle to display their disagreements. Mitterrand, more flexible on his positions, pleaded in favor of an international peace conference in the Middle East and substance the creation of a Palestinian state. Bush, as head of state of a country allied with Israel, was sidelining the Palestinian issue and believed that the creation of a Palestinian state would by no means solve the problems in the area. Despite these differences, the meeting was cordial, and no animosity was displayed between the two men. At the end of the press conference, declaring themselves "optimistic", the two men separate, and George Bush leaves Martinique for Bermuda.
Conclusion
The prestige of the two men made it a high point in Martinique's contemporary history. It cannot be said, however, that it was a key event for Martinique, insofar as Martinique was not the subject of the debate, and the impact of the meeting did not have a resounding effect on the island. It was merely a welcoming land and a spotlight for a day. Few people locally, or indeed anywhere else in the world, remember these presidential visits.
On the American side, the island was "discovered" by a country that had heard about it for the first time during the eruption of Mount Pelée. It has been the subject of several articles in the American media which have depicted it as a "French presence in America", a natural paradise, an "island where it is good to live despite some social tensions", a "former colony still living according to a colonial model” (total dependence on Paris, an economic system turned exclusively towards the metropolis, an island economically dominated by the former white settlers “the Békés”. Certain American newspapers go further in the criticism of the choice of the place by putting in relation the two men "colonialists" (in the words used) who went to lands which they "exploited economically" and on whom they "imposed their savage imperialism".
Regarding Habitation Clément, which hosted the meeting, the recognition was worldwide. The history of this place is told in the newspapers of several countries. Before the summit meeting, important work had been carried out to meet the requirements of the event and the international outlook that would be brought to it for a day. Obviously, the former colonial plantation attracted specialists from all over the world to the heritage value of the building, owned by the Hayot Group in 1986. At the end of the year of the meeting, in 1991, the Habitation Clément was registered with the Supplementary Inventory of Historical Monuments, then in 1996 was classified as a Historic Monument. Photos of this historic summit are present on site, and you will be able to see them during your future visit.