Iraq Kidnappers Denounce French Presence
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Militants on Wednesday released a video of a
French engineer kidnapped in Iraq three weeks ago and denounced the
"illegal French presence" in the country, the Arab news channel
Al-Arabiya reported.
The video, an excerpt of which was aired on the satellite channel,
showed the hostage, identified as Bernard Planche, sitting on a
chair with two armed men on either side of him.
"I am sorry for everything that has happened ... I want to thank
all those who are trying to help me," Planche said. He identified
himself as "Bernard" and said he worked on water projects in
Baghdad.
The name of a previous unknown militant group, called "Monitoring
For Iraq," was shown in the corner of the footage.
Al-Arabiya said the militants denounced the "illegal French
presence" in Iraq and demanded the withdrawal of French
troops from the country, although it did not play that segment.
France has not sent forces to Iraq.
Planche, an engineer working for a non-governmental organization
called AACCESS, was kidnapped Dec. 5 on his way to work at a water
plant in downtown Baghdad.
(Source: Associated Press, 28 Dec 2005)
