French PM mounts 'war' on terrorism
January 11, 2015
As Paris prepares for peace rallies in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, France's Prime Minister said his nation is not at "war" with a particular religion, but against terrorism.
“Terrorism wants to divide us, fracture us,” prime minister Manuel Valls said Saturday.
But, Valls added, “the most beautiful answer is the one the French people have been giving since Wednesday with spontaneous rallies everywhere.”
Mass peace rallies have been planned across the French capital on Sunday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron are among the many world leaders from Africa, Europe and the Middle East expected to travel to the French capital.
Twelve people were killed after terrorists stormed the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday. The gunmen fled the scene and led police on a three-day manhunt before taking people within a kosher supermarket and print shop hostage on Friday. Four hostages were killed before the three suspects were shot dead by police. A policewoman was also killed in a related incident on Thursday.
"I have no doubt that millions of citizens will come to express their love of liberty, their love of fraternity," Valls said Saturday, adding that "France without Jews is no longer France."
Netanyahu also expressed his concern: "To all the Jews of France, all the Jews of Europe, I would like to say that Israel is not just the place in whose direction you pray, the state of Israel is your home."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the king and queen of Jordan and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were also expected to attend the rally, French news agency AFP reported.
More than 700,000 people across France marched on Saturday to pay their respects to the victims.
Terrorist's family condemns attacks
Ahead of the rally, security forces have increased their presence in France, with hundreds of troops deployed in the capital. Police continue to search for 26-year-old Hayat Boumeddiene, the allegedly "armed and dangerous" partner of Amedy Coulibaly, one of the three terrorist suspects shot dead by police forces on Friday.
Coulibaly had been linked to the policewoman's death, and was responsible for the killing of the hostages at the Jewish supermarket.
On Saturday, his family condemned the attacks and offered "sincere condolences" to relatives of the victims. "We absolutely do not share these extreme ideas. We hope there will not be any confusion between these odious acts and the Muslim religion."
Leaders discuss anti-terror measures
Questions are now mounting on how security forces failed to gather enough information prior to the attacks, especially since Coulibaly was sentenced to five years in prison in 2013 for his role in helping an Algerian Islamist escape.
Prime Minister Valls has admitted that there were "clear failings" in intelligence.
Following the Paris attacks, British Prime Minister David Cameron is set to meet with US President Barack Obama next Thursday to discuss anti-terror measures.
jlw/bw (dpa, AFP, AP)