November 18, 2002	Monday	Ramazan 12, 1423

PARIS, Nov 17: The French government says that it is presently in the process of preparing a law that would forbid the recruiting and training of mercenaries on French soil, and severely limit their activities abroad, notably in Africa.

The projected law, as envisioned by the government of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, would include provisions of an anti-mercenary law that had been drafted by the government of Socialist prime minister Lionel Jospin, but had never been introduced before the National Assembly.

In the words of Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero, “It is our political will to fight with determination against the existence of mercenaries, whether they be French or from other countries.”

The principal impetus for introduction of a new law, which successive French governments have demanded, comes from the recent civil war in Cote d’Ivoire, where intelligence reports indicate that mercenaries have been recruited, partially in France, and this to help the “loyalist” army of Ivoirian President Laurent Gbagbo win back control of the country from rebel forces.

Queried as to French reaction to the role being played by the mercenaries in the recent victories by loyalist Ivoirian forces, the Quai d’Orsay spokesman said on Friday, “we condemn, as we always have, the need to have recourse to mercenaries.”

Bernard Valero, the spokesman, would neither confirm or deny the rumours according to which French intelligence operatives had reported the existence of French mercenaries fighting on behalf of President Gbagbo.

Already last June, the French government intervened in a spectacular way to nip in the bud a mercenary operation, organized in France, which had intended to overthrow Madagascar’s new head of state Marc Ravalomanana.