French hostages in Iraq 'in good spirits': report

www.abc.net.au ^ | Monday, November 29, 2004 | AFP

[Ginifer]

New footage has emerged of two French reporters taken hostage in Iraq showing both men apparently well and in good spirits, the Sunday Times reported.

Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, who marked their 100th day in captivity on Saturday, appear on a CD-Rom obtained by the paper, which said the recording was believed to have been made earlier this month.

The two are the longest-held Western hostages in Iraq.

Mr Chesnot, 37, reportedly says he and Mr Malbrunot are "here because there are security issues and investigations regarding our identities as we are journalists and the Islamic Army is doing the investigations."

Speaking in Lebanese Arabic, he says they are being treated well by their captors, "although their hospitality is not like a five-star hotel".

"The behaviour of the Islamic Army has been very good. There is no violence involved. We eat three times a day and we get lots of tea and everything is available," he adds.

Mr Malbrunot, 41, also speaks on the film in French, telling his family he is well and the conditions are good, the paper said.

It quoted Mr Chesnot's brother, Thierry, as saying: "This is very good news indeed."

Mr Chesnot, a freelancer who works for Radio France Internationale, and Mr Malbrunot, a freelancer for Le Figaro newspaper, were abducted along with their Syrian driver Mohammed al-Jundi while on their way to Najaf south of Baghdad.

US troops found al-Jundi two weeks ago in Fallujah, when they attacked the rebel stronghold, and he subsequently said he had been separated from the two Frenchmen in September.

[Earthdweller]

As I understand it, the demands are for the French gov't to remove the headscarf ban for schools.

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This is just the testing of the waters. The rest is yet to come.

[LoudRepublicangirl]

Well, I'm glad to see that these men are enjoying their stay at Hotel Islamica. I guess that means that if our marines get the opportunity to rescue them they don't have to take it since the "hostages" are enjoying themselves in the company of the Islamic army so much.

[Earthdweller]

Okay, you are correct, I do remember that demand and the French have said they won't bow to the damands.
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and have you seen the hostages released? No. Because the new government of france, the Islamic fundamentalists,..have not gotten what they want yet. This demand for political change will continue in France until every dime is spent on black mail or every frenchman is dead. Don't you get it? Islamics have their own laws and will impose them on their host country. Bottom line.

[matchwood]

Yes, I do get it - I had forgotten WHAT the demand had been - head scarves.

Do I understand the rest of it, absolutely; you don't require a majority bloc to knock a country off it's skids - only a vicious minority.

France is particularly vulnerable as are most of the Western European countries because they have no national value system or religion - they have nothing except their belief in the goodness of all men and in money.

France, Germany, Holland, Sweden and Great Britain are easy targets of minority facists - whatever their beliefs.

[Earthdweller]

You said it well.

[506trooper]

'I wonder if they are getting their 3 alcohol units per day from their captors? "

Oh, I'm sure they're whining at least 3 times a day, they are French after all.

[Dr. Musto]

This seems to prove that the French have deep ties with Islam and other Islamic nations. This is in no way an indication that France is as a whole "with the terrorists". We should be very clear on that.

It is the same on the flip side, I am offended when foreign exchange students I know ask me why I like Bush and wanted to invade Iraq. I didn't vote for him, like half the rest of the country, and I didn't want to send family members into a third world sand trap so they could fight people who weren't even terrorists. "Militants" are not terrorists.

[SFC Chromey]

But of course, because once they are able to get their foot in the door, they push it the rest of the way open for everything else!

These french rat bastards are at home with their 'freedom fighters', that they wanted to portray so romantically in their documentary.

[Earthdweller]

If you build a large Islamic population..the extremists will infiltrate. Even the moderate Islamics will warn you of that. Listen to the word in the mosques or keep dreaming that these barbarians can be "loved" enough to give up their zealous ideas and laws.

[Earthdweller]

This seems to prove that the French have deep ties with Islam and other Islamic nations. This is in no way an indication that France is as a whole "with the terrorists".
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If you have "deep" ties with Islamic nations you have NO CHOICE but to have ties with extremists. It is imposed on you with treats and intimidation. The French got themselves into this using the same naive view that you are expressing here. I admit the French may not be with the terrorists by their own free will as this is the nature of Islam but they are never the less obviously with them.

[Earthdweller]

I didn't want to send family members into a third world sand trap so they could fight people who weren't even terrorists. "Militants" are not terrorists.
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You have to understand that there are no other choices here. We have to make a base where moderate muslims can be freed from extreme islam in order for the rest of the world to survive. We have no other options. Saddam was a monster to his own people and was giving blood money to the EU to build up his own resources. He was already known to use part of those resources to fund terrorism (money to Arafat is case in point). Saddam was vulnerable to extremists when we invaded because of his weakened position. Unless the moderates have protection from extremists through democracy we will all be muslim in the next 100 years. Even then there are no guarantees the democracy will hold against islamic extremist terror. The alternative is to be a slave or be dead according to the koran. This is not the religion that we know that is based on free will. WAKE UP!!!

[Earthdweller]

Pinged to speak to "Dr." troll

[Dr. Musto]

Wait, you don't think that by creating the kind of chaos we have created, that we are adding to the levels of hatred and animosity that turns a moderate into an extremest?

And please, call me all the names you like...but I am here to engage in discussions.

[Dr. Musto]

Thats almost a no brainer, another example of that same logic is if you build a bigger city there will be more crime. That is not really the right way to look at the problem.

[Earthdweller]

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Broadly stated, the goals of this site are to further CONSERVATIVE!!!!, expose political corruption, and recover a truly constitutional form of government. If these are not your goals, you may find another discussion site more suitable.

[Earthdweller]

Posting Guidelines
Broadly stated, the goals of this site are to further CONSERVATIVE!!!, expose political corruption, and recover a truly constitutional form of government. If these are not your goals, you may find another discussion site more suitable.