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December 15, 2003

France ready to part cancel Iraqi debt

PARIS, Dec 15 (AFP) – France said on Monday it may write off part of Iraq’s debt if other creditor nations agree, in a move that could significantly smooth prickly relations with the United States.

December 15, 2003

Paris promises to follow EU defict rules

PARIS, Dec 15 (AFP) – France has reiterated its commitment to the EU stability pact and to reducing its public deficit to less than three percent of output starting in 2005, the finance ministry said Monday, citing a statement on its economic programme submitted to the European Commission.

December 15, 2003

Chirac to decide on headscarf ban

PARIS, Dec 15 (AFP) – The recommendation of a French commission to ban Islamic headscarves along with other overt symbols of religion in state schools and public offices places a tough decision in the hands of President Jacques Chirac.

December 15, 2003

Sarkozy in Senegal talks on immigration

DAKAR, Dec 14 (AFP) – French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday began a two-day visit to Senegal, where his decision to use charter aircraft to deport illegal immigrants en masse stirred up a storm of protest early this year.

December 15, 2003

French press slams Spain, Poland for EU ‘fiasco’

PARIS, Dec 14 (AFP) – Blame for the failure of a weekend EU summit to adopt a first-ever European constitution fell squarely on Spain and Poland, French media said Sunday, adding that the stage was now set for a two-tier bloc to emerge.

December 15, 2003

French airports urged to limit subsidies

PARIS, Dec 12 (AFP) – A study commissioned by the French government and released Friday called for limits on contracts between low cost airlines such as Ryanair and secondary French airports.

December 15, 2003

British WWII bomb in Lille city centre

LILLE, France, Dec 14 (AFP) – Explosives experts Sunday defused a 250-kilogramme (500-pound) World War II bomb in the northeastern French city of Lille following the evacuation of 1,200 residents.

December 15, 2003

‘Dodgy’ Van Gogh held from French sale

BORDEAUX, France, Dec 12 (AFP) – French auctioneers withdrew a painting attributed to Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh from sale at the last moment Friday because of doubts about the work’s authenticity.

December 15, 2003