Paris Warns U.S. Against Moussaoui Death Penalty

reuters | 3/19/02

[kattracks]

PARIS (Reuters) - Paris has warned Washington it could review its cooperation with the Sept. 11 probe if the United States sought the death penalty against a French national charged with aiding the people behind the attacks, French rights groups said Tuesday.

They said Justice Minister Marylise Lebranchu told them in a letter that she had instructed her officials to contact the U.S. Justice Department to voice concern that information gleaned in France could put Zacarias Moussaoui on death row.

The 33-year-old is charged with conspiring with Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network in connection with the hijacked airliner attacks in New York and Washington, which left more than 3,000 people dead last September.

After reaching an agreement with the French government, U.S. prosecutor Robert Spencer attempted to interview Moussaoui's relatives in France this week.

"France will take steps to alter the agreement stipulating that any information transmitted to the U.S. judicial authorities ... cannot be used by prosecutors pressing for a death penalty," rights groups, including Amnesty International, quoted Lebranchu's March 15 letter as saying.

Moussaoui was the first man charged over the attacks in which hijackers seized four commercial airliners, crashed two into the World Trade Center in New York and one into the Pentagon. The fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania.

Rights groups say Spencer, who questioned Moussaoui's brother Monday, would use the information to argue the suspect should be put to death. U.S. prosecutors are due to decide by March 29 if they will seek the death penalty, the rights groups said.

Moussaoui's brother refused to answer Spencer's questions while his mother failed to turn up for an interview. But the U.S. official was thought to be seeking to interview others connected with the family.

Four of the six charges for which a not guilty plea has been entered on Moussaoui's behalf carry a possible death penalty.

Lebranchu has already said France, which scrapped capital punishment in 1981, would not accept the death penalty for Moussaoui.

[safeasthebanks]

I plan on losing a lot of sleep in June as well (hopefully more than 3 games worth!)

Good to see another conservative fan of the US soccer team. Most of the soccer-related message boards are dominated by those on the left politically (some very far on the left).

GO USA

[Eva]

I am not so sure of your explanation. I think that the EU still needs the US and they are unhappy about this realization. I read that the EU outlined about 150 specific military functions that they needed to be able to perform for their own protection and that they needed the US for about 50 of them. France is an impotent whiner that can't get over its own deficiency.

[sheik yerbouty]

OOOOOOOhhhhhhhhhh! let's all be afraid of the French! FM, I say!

[WyCoKsRepublican]

Mousssaoui = Dead Man Walking........any questions?

[Mamzelle]

How I loathe those cheese-eating surrender monkeys...wonder how they'll feel when their homey Algerians blow up Notre Dame?

[GussiedUp]

You'd think the terrorists would figure out it would be much easier to go after a country full of cowards and turn their agnst toward those unwashed hairy snivvling, cheese-munching Frenchies.

[hove]

OK President Bush...add em to the list! They aren't with us...in fact....I would say they are damn sure against us!

[cmotormac44]

just try to remember that "the french" are the same crew as our "liberal scum" politicos---many Frech people are just like us and people all over this world---they pray to be really free from such "filthy creatures"-

[shaggy eel]

,,, I'd view that threat from France as both blackmail and a minor form of terrorism in itself. Don't discount the French as cowards though! They've got enough guts to sneak divers in to places like Auckland harbour and blow up the "Rainbow Warrior". In reality, that's the sort of ethics you're faced with and they'll bow to the Muslims they're overloaded with in their own country before they help America.

[cmotormac44]

just try to remember that "the french" are the same crew as our "liberal scum" politicos---many French people are just like us and people all over this world---they pray to be really free from such "filthy creatures"-

[PaulJ]

The way I see it, being that the French always pick the wrong side on everything, we're doing the right thing. We should worry only when the French start agreeing with us.

And always remember the French Salute:
Drop weapon to ground, put both hands in the air.

[finnman69]

Le Pusssseeeeeee's

[Wonder Warthog]

"Let's do that one better. Not only will we withhold Jerry Lewis Movies, we'll ship over Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, N'Sync, and the Backstreet Boys, and won't let them leave France until they utterly surrender to us. . . (evil grin)"

Could we substitute Helen Thomas for Britney Spears??

[Publius6961]

France has bought the protection of the Muslims by kissing their butter and building huge ghetto housing for them all over France, and keeping them as pets.
Why would they want a nation that will not see the same way screw things up for them and make the natives restless?

[finnman69]

Yeah, but remember that we dropped a few on the French Embassy on the Libya trip. Sam Kinison said it best.

" Ohhhhh, gee I'm sorry we accidently bombed the French Embassy....well we might not have missed if WE HAD MORE F$%@!@*ING SLEEP! THANK'S FOR THE EXTRA 1500 AIR MILES YOU F!@!%#S!"

[kaylar]

That's the reason behind the EU RRF, as well as the recent approval of Galileo (which some in DC have called a "declaration of war" on the US, according to the FR articles I've read). The big question is, Will the EU be willing to cut services to pay for military independence?

Another problem is this : The EU's Muslim population has skyrocketed, from a low of 5% in Holland, to 15% in Spain, Italy, maybe Germany. All the EU nations fall somewhere in that range (eg, France is at 8%). This is in contrast to the USA, where the greatest estimate of Muslim percentage of population puts them at 2.5% ( that works out to 7 million Muslims, which many critics say is a gross exaggeration anyway). But it shows how their hands are tied now.

[ohioman]

Hey France! Kiss my Rebel American Ass!

[pikachu]

I really wish we still had Kinnison's view on many subjects since his death. He way of dealing with famine in Ethiopia was probably the best way to deal with the issue {Get a U-haul, tell 'em to pack all their stuff, and we'll move 'em to where the FOOD IS!!!!!!!!!!!}

[ohioman]

I think that our opinion on France is the most agreed upon subject on FreeRepublic.com. The actions of the French make it easy.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

Paris warns the U.S.,WOW,WE ARE SHAKING IN OUR BOOTS!Tell me you"sidewalk wizzers",just what do you think your going to do about it?Your not called EURO-"PEONS" for nothing!