FRANCE last night rejected a warning from Osama bin Laden, the al-Qa’ida leader, in which he said that French hostages in Niger would be executed if Paris did not withdraw its forces from Afghanistan.
Michele Alliot-Marie, the Foreign Minister, said that there was no question of bowing to al-Qa’ida’s demands, which were given in an audio tape that appeared to be authentic.
“We are determined to pursue our action with our allies on behalf of the Afghan people,” said Ms Alliot-Marie.
The message, broadcast on the al-Jazeera television network, said: “President Nicolas Sarkozy’s refusal to remove his forces from Afghanistan is nothing but a green light for killing the French hostages.”
France would pay dearly at home and abroad for Mr Sarkozy’s position, said the voice on the tape.
The Algerian-led al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is holding seven foreigners, including five French citizens, who were kidnapped in the Niger last September.
A Taleban group is also holding two French television journalists, who were kidnapped in December 2009. AQIM killed Frenchman Michel Germaneau, 78, last July after French commandos took part in a failed raid to free him.
According to Jean-Pierre Filiu, a leading French expert on al-Qa’ida, Bin Laden “is trying to fuel the illusion that he is still playing an important role in Afghanistan”.
In the tape, the al-Qa’ida leader challenged whether France’s economy would allow it to wage a successful fight against al-Qa’ida. “The size of your debts and the weakness of your budget will not allow you to open a new front,” he said.
Be the first to comment