Posted on 03/02/2005 10:41:42 AM PST by Shermy
PARIS - Didier Julia, the French lawmaker a reporter taken hostage in Iraq called for by name in a video released by her abductors, is seen as a maverick member of President Jacques Chirac's ruling party -- and someone with close ties to Syria and the deposed regime of Saddam Hussein.
The 71-year-old representative of the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris first rose to prominence last September, when he headed an unofficial -- and unsuccessful -- mission to free two other French reporters kidnapped in Iraq.
The failure of that venture, conducted from a luxury hotel suite in the Syrian capital Damascus, earned him the scorn of his UMP party and the media, especially after the two reporters themselves said he was "beneath contempt" for jeopardising a parallel official bid that eventually freed them in December.
A former archeologist who speaks Arabic, Julia is familiar with the Middle East.
He was also seen as a pro-Iraq lobbyist during the regime of Saddam Hussein, and enjoyed contacts with Iraqi officials from that era.
Many of those Iraqis are now believed to be active in the insurgency battling US-led forces, some with the surreptitious support of Syria.
In his failed venture to rescue the two other journalists, Georges Malbrunot of Le Figaro newspaper and Christian Chesnot of Radio France Internationale, Julia used two aides, both of whom have since been put under criminal investigation for risking the reporters' lives -- and for dealing with "a foreign power", believed to be Syria.
One of those aides, Philippe Brett, is a former bodyguard who ran a pro-Iraqi lobbying firm started in 2000 called the French Office for Industry Development and Culture (OFDIC) which tried to have sanctions against Saddam's regime lifted.
The other is Philippe Evanno, a UMP party member.
Both travel on expired French passports, the newspaper Le Figaro reported.
Julia himself is the subject of a preliminary judicial inquiry but has had no action taken against him.
Several newspapers in France noted that, when Julia went to Syria to oversee his failed mission, the French embassy in Damscus stepped in to secure his Syrian visa with the Syrian foreign ministry.
Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo also loaned a private jet for the Julia team's use, adding to speculation that, though the mission was unofficial, it might have taken place in a larger, behind-the-scenes dealmaking environment.
With Aubenas now calling out for Julia by name, many in France, starting with the journalist's employer, the Liberation newspaper, believe she was directed to involve the MP.
A previous video received last week by French officials but not made public had Aubenas identifying herself in a similar tone -- but not making any reference to Julia, according to the newspaper.
Julia himself has said he is prepared to respond to Aubenas's call -- but for that, the government would have to drop its investigation of his aides.
Foreign Minister Michel Barnier, who has not disguised his animosity towards Julia, has reluctantly left the door open to that option, saying Wednesday: "We have to follow all leads."
Iraq hostage plea pressures French govt
By Kerstin Gehmlich
PARIS (Reuters) - An Iraq hostage's desperate plea for help to a controversial member of France's ruling right has put the government under pressure to seek help from the rebel deputy who failed in a previous rescue effort.
... ...
SYRIAN CONNECTION?
Julia, a deputy in the lower house of parliament for the ruling UMP party who frequently travels the Middle East, faces a legal probe into his earlier rescue efforts. He has said he was ready to work towards Aubenas's release.
"I imagine her hostage-takers know me and that they have asked her to call on me. I imagine they have confidence in me," Julia told Le Parisien.
"I know a lot of people in Iraq, where I have kept numerous contacts with those formerly responsible in the Baath party, of which a good number of representatives are today at the heart of the Iraqi resistance," he said.
Julia, a university professor, made a highly publicised trip to the Syrian capital Damascus last October, where he said he was close to winning the release of Chesnot and Malbrunot.
... ...
I thought the two French reporters had been released? If not, where are they?
la politique plus sophistiquée
They were. The "insurgents" grabbed another, the woman named Aubenas. A day or two ago a video was released via an Arab station showing her very distraught, and stating the Didier Julia's name. From this article we know there was a previous video given to the French without mentioning Julia.
She was a reporter for "Liberation".
www.liberation.fr
Lots of speculation there about Syrian connections, and Julia.
Intriguing. Do you know more about this man?
I think the "journalist" and the MP are in colusion. He probably arranged the kidnapping with the full knowledge of the "journalist".
Things like that happen, but I don't think so given her appearance on the video. She's not in good shape in the least.
So far I can find only reports about his hostage-related trips last year:
http://www.cggl.org/scripts/new.asp?id=256
Nothing is more pretentious than dropping a bit of French into this forum.
Tag lines are, bien sur, excepted.
I certainly hope the brave reporter's abductors do not learn that she's sold key targeting information to the Mossad for years.
Iraq takes up arms to save ancient treasures from bombs, looters
Curiously, the article is about protecting Iraqi museums, and we know no some looting was professional and pre-planned. I've read he's an ex-archaeologist.
How about the Italian female reporter?
nick
[Snorts/laughs condescendingly at French-dropping, then returns to eating yogurt while watching Jerry Lewis film]
I wonder how much Oil-for-Palaces money ended up in this guy's pockets.
He knew the oil-for-shilling was drying up, so it provided one last chance to profit from the situation.
Interesting
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