October 20, 2001	Saturday	Shaba'an 2, 1422

PARIS, Oct 19: The French company SPOT Images, which sells satellite pictures, said on Friday it had stopped selling pictures of Afghanistan under government instructions.

SPOT Image spokeswoman Sandrine Franck-May said the move took effect on October 8.

“As of that date, we were required by the defence ministry to restrict the distribution and diffusion of the region including Afghanistan,” she said.

“Our only customer for pictures of Afghanistan is the French defence ministry, and this includes all of SPOT’s subsidiaries.”—AFP