A French journalist was flown back to Paris on Sunday night after being held hostage for five months by insurgents in Iraq.
Florence Aubenas (44) was greeted by President Jacques Chirac, her friends and family at the Villacoublay airport, outside Paris.
She said she had endured ”harsh consitions” during her captivity; one of the few times she had been allowed to lift her blindfold had been to watch a French television programme which had broadcast a message of support for her.
”You’re so happy when you see that,” she said, referring to rallies and concerts held in her support.
Aubenas, a reporter for the French daily Liberation, and her driver were snatched after leaving their Baghdad hotel on January 5. Little had been known about their fate, until their release on Saturday.
The French government denied it had paid a ransom for her release. ”It wasn’t easy at all. It was a dangerous operation for our people, extremely dangerous,” Bernard Bajolet, France’s ambassador in Iraq, told France Info radio.
Insurgents in Iraq released video footage of Aubenas on March 1.
The journalist apparently suffered no ill treatment or harassment in captivity. After her return on Sunday night her mother, Jacqueline Aubenas, said: ”I thought I knew what the word happiness meant … but it is so much better than I thought.” – Guardian Unlimited Â