The French press said on Wednesday that the release of journalists Christian Chesnot and George Malbrunot after four months of captivity in Iraq is surrounded by mystery and murky politics.
But the sense of joy and relief that swept the country on the news of the release was reflected in bold headlines — ”Free!” and ”At last!”.
The left-of-centre daily Liberation focused on what its front-page headline called ”The 124-day mystery”.
While stressing that ”all’s well that ends well”, the newspaper said the affair has been surrounded by ”diplomatic entanglement”, ”repeated blunders” and ”a cacophony that cast doubt on the government’s ability to untangle the crisis”.
It said France’s diplomatic service is open to criticism, because its traditional pro-Arab policy and its non-alignment in the ”Bush crusade” in Iraq is no prevention against the worst happening, nor does it enable France to impose itself on the international scene.
Nevertheless, Liberation said France has ”emerged with its head held high from an affair that came close to destroying its reputation on several occasions”.
The right-of-centre Le Figaro, for whom Malbrunot worked, said France played for high stakes in securing the journalists’ release.
”It gambled its influence in the Arab world and the prestige it has earned in opposing the policy of the United States in Iraq.”
Le Figaro said ”vast areas of shadow” remain over the conditions of the journalists’ liberation, particularly concerning the role played by the pro-American authorities in Baghdad, the Syrians and the Iranians.
It said France’s handling of the crisis has also aroused misgivings among some of its European allies that are militarily engaged in Iraq.
The communist daily Humanite said many details of the affair will doubtless become clearer in the coming days, including the motivation of the kidnappers. The popular Le Parisien said that once the celebrations are over, the time for questions will arrive — particularly over whether a ransom was paid for the release.
France Soir said the release was the joint work of Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, President Jacques Chirac and General Philippe Rondot, a top-ranking intelligence official described as Chirac’s man on the ground.
The Catholic daily La Croix said the journalists were freed after ”a long succession of hopes and disappointments”.
It said the affair has welded the French together in a common cause, with no attempt to use it for partisan or political purposes. — Sapa-AFP