FRANCE: French secret service agents yesterday debriefed two French journalists after their release from a four-month hostage ordeal in Iraq, as a political storm raged over a botched freelance attempt to free the men.
Georges Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot returned to France late on Wednesday to a heroes' welcome from family, friends and politicians led by President Jacques Chirac.
The pair spent the night at a secure location run by the French foreign intelligence service, the DGSE, which will want to discover all it can about the shadowy hostage-takers.
Le Figaro reporter Malbrunot, (41) and Chesnot, (37) who works for Radio France Internationale, were expected to be allowed to spend Christmas with family and friends. Despite having lost weight, both looked healthy and said they were not mistreated.
The men and their Syrian driver were seized on August 20th as they drove to Najaf from Baghdad, by a group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq.
It demanded France repeal a ban on Muslim headscarves in state schools, but Paris rejected the demand.
Shortly after arriving back in France, Malbrunot reignited a row over a failed bid in September by self-appointed mediators to secure the reporters' freedom, launching a fierce attack on those behind the venture.
"I am outraged by (their) behaviour . . . it was playing with the lives of their compatriots, which deserves nothing but contempt," he said.
Mr Didier Julia, the deputy at the centre of the storm, faces expulsion from Mr Chirac's ruling UMP party over his role in the failed rescue mission. His emissary, Mr Philippe Brett, a little-known businessman with a history of political dealings in France and Iraq, remains abroad.
"They played with the lives of two people . . . They interrupted our efforts and caused the breakdown of negotiations which had almost succeeded on September 28th-29th," foreign minister Mr Michel Barnier said on LCI television. "The time will come when we will have to ask questions and obtain answers."
Barnier, who brought Chesnot and Malbrunot back to Paris on a government jet, said the journalists had denied seeing Brett on September 28th as the businessman had said publicly.
Mr Julia stood his ground yesterday, telling RTL radio he had acted in good faith.
An editorial in Le Figaro said the Julia-Brett fiasco showed discreet diplomacy paid. "For the image of our country and out of respect for human life, it would be good if, in the future, elected representatives refrained from such indiscretions," the paper said.
The left-leaning daily Libération said unanswered questions remained. Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin claimed no conditions were set for their release but there was little chance of that being believed, the paper said.
Two Italian women aid workers were freed in September after payment of about $1 million ransom, according to a senior Italian parliamentarian.
France says it paid no ransom.