FRANCE: France was torn between hope and doubt yesterday over its two hostages in Iraq after a purported French negotiator announced their imminent release while officials insisted they knew nothing about such efforts.
With the return of two Italian hostages dominating news headlines, French media steered clear of premature judgments following rising hopes and setbacks in the search for journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot in past weeks. One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the purported negotiator had said nothing new, and wondered if his statement meant more groups were entering the complex negotiations.
Mr Philippe Brett, from a little known lobby group that represents French interests abroad, is said to have secured a promise of the men's release without offering a ransom, according to his associate Mr Pierre Girard-Hautbout, who said the release could come as early as "the end of the week".
Yet the French foreign ministry said it knew nothing about this. "Since yesterday evening, we have been following what Mr Brett has been saying, but we have no information on his negotiations," one official said.
French officials were also slightly baffled by Mr Girard-Hautbout's request for a US military safety corridor to help with the Frenchmen's release "like they provided for the Italian hostages". However, there was no mention in Rome of US military cooperation in the aid workers' release.
Mr Didier Julia, a member of the French parliament, said Mr Brett had talked with the kidnappers about securing agreement from US forces to ensure the mens safe transfer between Ramadi and Falluja, the Iraqi towns that are controlled by anti-American insurgents. This, he said, was a route used for the release of the Italians. But Italy limited its comment to saying the women were handed to the Red Cross in western Baghdad.
Mr Girard-Hautbout said his colleague had used years old contacts in the region to secure the release agreement: "He knows those involved in the matter very well." Speaking on television, Mr Julia vouched for Mr Bret's credibility, saying he had no reason to doubt his words and that he was "a professional."
The journalists were seized along with their Syrian driver on August 20th by a group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq. Paris rejected its demands that France scrap a law banning girls from wearing Muslim headscarves in state schools.