France beefs up security for expatriates 01/03/2007 00:00

PARIS, March 1, 2007 (AFP) - New security measures for French expatriates have been put in place after four French nationals were killed by gunmen in Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said Thursday.

 "The attack that claimed the lives of four fellow citizens in Saudi Arabia confirms that violence and tensions are at their highest point in certain regions of the world," Villepin told a news conference.

"I have given instructions that security be reinforced for our expatriates abroad and that the alert system to monitor their whereabouts be improved," he said.

The four French expatriates were shot by masked gunmen near Medina on Monday as they stopped en route to their homes in the capital Riyadh after a trip to the historical site of Madain Saleh, a popular destination for Westerners.

French President Jacques Chirac expressed shock following the attack, the first in three months against Westerners in the oil-rich kingdom, which was rocked by a spate of bombings and shootings blamed on suspected Al-Qaeda militants starting in May 2003.

Copyright AFP

Subject French news