No country in the world safefrom terror attacks: Chirac

PARIS, July 14 (AFP) – French President Jacques Chirac warned Thursday during a national Bastille Day interview that no one in the world was safe from terrorist acts like the deadly bombings that rocked London last week.

“No country in the world is safe from attacks,” Chirac said.

“These terrorists have a mentality, a psychological state that is different from our own. All efforts must be made to fight against terrorism,” the French president added.

“With respect to terrorism, we must constantly adapt our means and ability to respond. We never know what they are going to come up with next.”

Before sitting down for the interview broadcast live from his Elysee palace, Chirac observed the EU-wide two minutes of silence in tribute to the victims of last week’s terror bombings, in which at least 53 people were killed.

The 72-year-old French leader said his country was “among those considered to be the most effective in terms of the resources used for research, inquiry and intelligence”.

“And we are constantly reinforcing the means at our disposal, in total cooperation with our partners,” he added.

Immediately following the deadly London bombings, France raised its anti-terror alert to red, the second-highest rating, and tightened border controls, especially along the maritime frontier with Britain.

The security clampdown triggered stepped-up surveillance in rail stations and airports, patrols on high-speed trains including the Eurostar services heading to London and airspace restrictions over certain sensitive areas.

Subject: French new