By Tom Heneghan, Paris (Reuters)
PARIS (Reuters) - Two French journalists freed from a four-month hostage ordeal in Iraq have finally found total freedom after being held for a day following their return home to be debriefed by France's DSGE intelligence service.
The debriefing in a secure location was the final step for Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot before going home for Christmas with their families. The two were freed in Baghdad on Tuesday and returned to a heroes' welcome in Paris the next day.
As they met loved ones, debate raged over a failed freelance attempt to free them. Critics rounded on conservative deputy Didier Julia for his mediation attempt, to which he replied that Foreign Minister Michel Barnier was "totally useless."
"I'm not going to waste my time with polemics like this. They deserve contempt," said Barnier, echoing the condemnation Malbrunot fired off at Julia and his associate Philippe Brett just after returning from Iraq.
"They played with the lives of two people ... They interrupted our efforts and caused the breakdown of negotiations which had almost succeeded on September 28-29," he said. "The time will come when wewill have to ask questions and get answers."
(snip)
Chesnot told France Info radio after the debriefing that he never saw Brett -- as the businessman had claimed -- and that the captors were clearly annoyed by the confusion he caused.
"The jailors said there was a lot of confusion on the French side, the French were bizarre, they couldn't understand anymore what was going on," he said.
(snip) read in entirety at link above
Mata Musing
Me thinks the French miss the larger picture. Obviously it is less controversial to skirmish over which was the best way to achieve the journalists' freedom, while they conveniently ignore the fact that their citizenry were kidnapped, despite their quiet support for the terrorists in Iraq.
However, I rejoice with the families for their safe return in time to celebrate Christmas... if they do... with their loved ones.
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