President Sarkozy heads to Chad in children case

PARIS – French President Nicolas Sarkozy headed to Chad yesterday to discuss 16 Europeans facing charges for trying to fly 103 African children to Europe, a presidential spokesman said, raising hopes some suspects could soon be freed.

Nine French and seven Spanish nationals were arrested in the eastern town of Abeche, near the border with Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region, just over a week ago as they tried to fly the children, aged between one and 10 years, to Europe. Sarkozy would address the issue of the European nationals being held in Chad on charges of abduction and fraud over accusations they illegally tried to fly the children out of Africa to families in Europe, his spokesman said in a statement.Six of the French belong to a group called Zoe’s Ark, which has said that it intended to place orphans from Darfur with European families for foster care and that it had the right to do so under international law.The three others are journalists.On Saturday, an examining magistrate questioned the three journalists and four female members of the Spanish air crew, still in their uniforms, at the law courts in the dusty capital, N’Djamena, where they were taken by a heavy military escort.The flurry of activity surrounding Sarkozy’s visit – announced at the last minute after his office had denied rumours late on Saturday that he would visit Chad – raised hopes that some suspects could soon be released.On its Web site, Spanish newspaper El Pais quoted Spanish diplomatic sources in Chad as saying the four stewardesses would be freed and dropped off by Sarkozy in Madrid where he will be met by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.Zapatero’s office said it was ‘possible’ the four would be released but ‘unlikely’ that Sarkozy would fly to Madrid.”I am sure they will be freed,” Spanish Consul Vicente Mas told reporters yesterday outside the N’Djamena prison where the group have been held, but gave no further details.France’s ambassador declined comment as he left the prison by car.A Chadian legal source said he expected some of the group to be freed later yesterday, but did not specify which ones.Sarkozy has personally appealed to Chad’s President Idriss Deby to free the French journalists and urged a mutually satisfactory solution ‘so that no one loses face’.Deby said last week he hoped the French journalists and Spanish air hostesses would soon be freed, but accused the Spanish pilot of complicity and said the Chadian justice system would decide their fate.Sarkozy’s spokesman said the French president’s meeting with Deby would focus on consular protection of the French nationals and on judicial cooperation between France and Chad.Nampa-ReutersSarkozy would address the issue of the European nationals being held in Chad on charges of abduction and fraud over accusations they illegally tried to fly the children out of Africa to families in Europe, his spokesman said in a statement.Six of the French belong to a group called Zoe’s Ark, which has said that it intended to place orphans from Darfur with European families for foster care and that it had the right to do so under international law.The three others are journalists.On Saturday, an examining magistrate questioned the three journalists and four female members of the Spanish air crew, still in their uniforms, at the law courts in the dusty capital, N’Djamena, where they were taken by a heavy military escort.The flurry of activity surrounding Sarkozy’s visit – announced at the last minute after his office had denied rumours late on Saturday that he would visit Chad – raised hopes that some suspects could soon be released.On its Web site, Spanish newspaper El Pais quoted Spanish diplomatic sources in Chad as saying the four stewardesses would be freed and dropped off by Sarkozy in Madrid where he will be met by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.Zapatero’s office said it was ‘possible’ the four would be released but ‘unlikely’ that Sarkozy would fly to Madrid.”I am sure they will be freed,” Spanish Consul Vicente Mas told reporters yesterday outside the N’Djamena prison where the group have been held, but gave no further details.France’s ambassador declined comment as he left the prison by car.A Chadian legal source said he expected some of the group to be freed later yesterday, but did not specify which ones.Sarkozy has personally appealed to Chad’s President Idriss Deby to free the French journalists and urged a mutually satisfactory solution ‘so that no one loses face’.Deby said last week he hoped the French journalists and Spanish air hostesses would soon be freed, but accused the Spanish pilot of complicity and said the Chadian justice system would decide their fate.Sarkozy’s spokesman said the French president’s meeting with Deby would focus on consular protection of the French nationals and on judicial cooperation between France and Chad.Nampa-Reuters