a93: 17 Dec: Statement of the Quai d'Orsay (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Antoine Blanc <amprblanc@yahoo.fr>

Statements made by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson
(excerpts)
Paris, December 19, 2001
HAITI
France condemned promptly, on December 17, the attack against the National
Palace in Port-au-Prince. It regrets that these events were followed by acts
of violence against political leaders and the headquarters of various
political groups.
It also condemns the attacks on the staff of certain radio stations. It
urges the Haitian authorities to exercise their responsibilities and to
ensure the protection of individuals in accordance with the principles of a
law-abiding state . It recalls that it is incumbent on them out of concern
for democratic values to take every measure to guarantee the free expression
of political opinions and the plurality of the press. It vigorously protests
the destruction at the French Institute in defiance of international
conventions whereas the Institute should obviously have been adequately
protected by the Haitian police.