The French-American Foundation Weekly Brief

FRANCE

Two young Frenchmen were killed in Niger on Saturday, January 8, as the French military undertook a mission to liberate the two hostages, Le Point reported. Vincent Delory and Antoine De Leocour, both 25, were in Niger for De Leocour’s wedding, when they were taken from a restaurant in the Nigerien capital of Niamey on Friday, January 7. The cause of death was unknown, as an official autopsy was planned following the bodies’ return to France on Wednesday, January 12, according to Le Monde. Unofficial reports stated that one had been shot in the head and the other burnt badly while in transport. On Wednesday, January 12, President Nicolas Sarkozy justified the decision to send troops to liberate the hostages and address members of the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, deemed responsible for the kidnapping, according to AFP explored the justification by the government and all political parties in France to address al-Qaeda, which has targeted France for its involvement in the war in Afghanistan and for the ban of the Islamic veil.

France and Spain arrested two believed to be working for the Basque separatist group, ETA, on Tuesday, January 11, Bloomberg reported. French police arrested a man believed to encrypt computer data for the ETA while Spanish police arrested his girlfriend, believed to be a collaborator to the group’s terrorist efforts, according to AFP. The arrests came a day after the Spanish government rejected a “permanent” and “verifiable” ceasefire, BBC reported. The rejection has been seen as a hard stance against the separatist movement, which has promised ceasefires before, as explored by Le Figaro. The arrests, which were the culmination of a much longer investigation, have been seen by many as a symbolic gesture to accentuate both nations’ commitment to quashing the historically violent movement. France, which borders Spain along the home of the Basque in the Pyrénées Mountains, was once seen as a safe haven for ETA members plotting efforts against the Spanish government.

The Socialist Party settled on a primary schedule in preparation for the 2012 presidential elections after a four-hour meeting between party leaders and expected hopefuls on Tuesday, January 11, le JDD reported. The primary will consist of a two-round process to be held in October. Candidates have from June 28 to July 13 to officially register their candidacy in preparation for the first round scheduled for October 9 and the second October 16. While the majority of those involved in the decision, such as party leader Martine Aubry and 2007 candidate Ségolène Royal, seemed content with the decision, the schedule did not meet the desires of other party leaders and their supporters. Despite describing the talks by citing a très bon esprit, hopeful François Hollande had hoped for an accelerated schedule with primaries being held in September, according to Le Point. Supporters of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, president of the International Monetary Fund with a commitment until 2012, had hoped the proceedings would be delayed until November, giving a greater chance for Strauss-Kahn, who has not yet declared whether he would or would not run for president in 2012, to make a bid.

Le Figaro reported that the number of international adoptions in France saw a considerable increase in 2010, rising 14 percent from 2009 numbers. The total number of international adoptions jumped from 3,017 in 2009 to 3,504 in 2010, explained in part by an increase in adoptions from the nation of Haiti, which in a year was devastated by an earthquake, a hurricane, and a cholera outbreak, according to AFP. The number of adoptions from Haiti rose from 653 to 992 in a year. After the earthquake, France permitted an acceleration of adoption proceedings for children from Haiti, which some critics say has created a hurried process that doesn’t allow for the proper psychological preparations for the transfer of children from one country to another, as explored by Youphil . Following Haiti, the other countries from which the French adopted children were Vietnam (469), Colombia (369), Ethiopia (352), and Russia (301).

As the deadline came on Tuesday, January 11, Munich, Germany, joined Annecy, France, and Pyeongchang, South Korea, as contenders for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Sportal reported. The International Olympic Committee will conduct site visits to the three locations in the next two months, visiting Annecy from February 8 to 12. The host city will be announced in Durban, South Africa, on July 6.