The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Manuel Valls

  • Syria: France urges Russia to stop civilians’ bombing

    French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, has called on Russia to stop hitting civilians in air raids in Syria.

    Mr. Valls said an end to bombing civilians was the key to peace.

    His Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev said there was “no evidence of our bombing civilians, even though everyone is accusing us of this.”

    Late last month, the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 1,015 civilians had been killed in Russian air strikes, the BBC reports.

    Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has consistently denied hitting civilian targets and insists it is battling terrorists.

    Mr. Valls said his government “respects Russia and Russia’s interests” but “that to re-discover the path to peace, to discussion, the Russian bombing of civilians has to stop.”

    Mr. Medvedev said Russia was “not trying to achieve some secret goals in Syria,” adding that “we are trying to protect our national interests.”

    The comments were made at a security conference in Munich, days after world powers agreed a deal to push for a cessation of hostilities in Syria within a week.

    Rebel groups in Syria have told the BBC they would not stop fighting because they do not believe that Russia will end its bombing campaign in support of the government.

    They also reiterated their demand that President Assad be removed from power. On Friday, the president said he wanted to retake “the whole country” from rebels.

  • France in danger of chemical attacker – PM

    French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, has warned that France could face chemical or biological attack from terror groups, as Member of Parliament debate extending the state of emergency after the Paris attacks.

    Belgian police are meanwhile raiding six properties in and around Brussels, linked to suspected Paris attackers Bilal Hadfi and Salah Abdeslam, the BBC reports.

    It remains unclear whether the suspected organiser of the attacks was killed in Wednesday’s raid in Paris.

    Friday’s attacks killed 129 people.

    Mr. Valls was addressing the French parliament ahead of a vote to extend the state of emergency by three months.

    He told MPs that “terrorism hit France, not because of what it is doing in Iraq and Syria but for what it is.”

    “What is new are the ways of operating; the ways of attacking and killings are evolving all the time,” the prime minister said.

    “The macabre imagination of those giving the orders is unlimited. Assault rifles, beheadings, suicide bombers, knives or all of these at once.”

     

  • Paris attacks ‘planned from Syria’

    Friday’s attacks by terrorists in Paris were planned and organised from Syria, French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, has said.

    He added that the authorities believed new terror attacks were being planned in France and other European countries.

    Mr. Valls also said 150 raids on suspected militants had been carried out across France early on Monday, the BBC reports.

    A total of 129 people died in the attacks on bars and restaurants, a concert hall and the Stade de France.

    A huge manhunt is under way for surviving members and accomplices of the Islamist group that carried out the attacks.

    Police has named Brussels-born Salah Abdeslam, 26, as a key suspect. He was reportedly stopped by officers in the wake of the attacks – but then let go.

    Meanwhile, French aircraft has attacked Raqqa, the stronghold in Syria of the Islamic State group, which has said it carried out the attacks.

    Mr. Valls said that France was dealing with a “terrorist army,” rather than a single terrorist group.

    “We know that operations were being prepared and are still being prepared, not only against France but other European countries too,” he said, quoted by AFP news agency.

    The prime minister said more than 150 raids on militant targets in different areas of France took place early on Monday.

    Police sources told news agencies that properties in the Paris suburb of Bobigny, as well as the cities of Grenoble, Toulouse and Lyon, had been targeted.

    Seven attackers died in the assault on the French capital, most of them after detonating suicide belts.

     

  • French PM under pressure to tweak deficit plan

    French PM under pressure to tweak deficit plan

    French Prime Minister Manuel Valls discussed tweaking his deficit-reduction programme with Socialist lawmakers who want to reduce cutbacks for low-income pensioners, a day before the plan is due to be presented to parliament.

    The newly appointed prime minister unveiled the breakdown last week of a 50 billion euro or $69 billion (41 billion pounds) plan to curb state spending in several areas as France struggles to bring its deficit below an EU target of 3 percent of GDP by end-2015.

    Valls will present a fiscal programme covering 2014-2017 to parliament on Wednesday before sending it to the European Commission, which is in charge of policing member states’ public finances.

    However, he must first head off a revolt by lawmakers in his own Socialist party, who oppose plans to freeze all state pensions and welfare benefits for a year, if he is to secure majority backing when the plan goes to a vote in parliament on April 29.

    Valls met with lawmakers who on Monday proposed a reweighted 50 billion euro savings programme that would delay planned tax breaks for large companies by one year in order to avoid freezing the lowest state pensions.

    “Some aspects of the savings plan can be improved,” said Socialist lawmaker Dominique Lefebvre, adding that he thought the prime minister would agree to modify his plans to reduce the burden on low-income pensioners.

    Berger, another Socialist lawmaker, said a 12 billion euro payroll tax cut for large companies planned for next year could be delayed until 2016, freeing up 3 billion euros to avoid freezing small pensions.

    BFM TV, quoting a source in the prime minister’s office, said Valls was ready to adjust the programme if the headline savings figure was unchanged. However, he would not agree to a proposal by a group of more radical left-wing MPs to reduce the cuts to 35 billion euros, BFMTV said.

    Valls’ office declined to comment on the proposals and the head of the Socialist group in parliament, Bruno Leroux, told journalists that dialogue was continuing.

    “What’s important, the main thing, is that nobody questions the figure of 50 billion,” said a source close to President Francois Hollande. “Today, we are in a phase of dialogue.”

  • Hollande protests: 250 arrested, 19 police officers injured

    Hollande protests: 250 arrested, 19 police officers injured

    Hundreds of arrests were made after 17,000 hit the streets of Paris to protest about President Francois Hollande’s leadership.

    Nineteen police officers were injured after what had been a peaceful demonstration turned violent, police said.

    Clashes erupted as the demonstration came to an end. Some of the protesters wearing ski masks and hoods threw bottles, firecrackers, and iron bars at police, local media reported.

    Interior Minister Manuel Valls condemned the violence “by individuals, varied groups from the extreme and ultra-right, whose only goal is to create unrest”.

    The number of detentions and injuries is higher than previous protests against Mr Hollande, whose handling of the economy has caused anger in France.

    Some 50 associations were involved in the initial protest, including conservative and far-right groups. But many of the larger groups opposed to his policies avoided the demonstration.

    The protests come as France’s former first lady Valerie Trierweiler visited India on her first public engagement since Mr Hollande announced on Saturday that he was splitting up with her following allegations he was having an affair with actress Julie Gayet.

    Mrs Trierweiler, a career journalist, travelled to Mumbai to fulfil a long-standing commitment to the trip highlighting the plight of malnourished children.

    She was pictured visiting a hospital paediatric ward where she cuddled and kissed children while speaking with mothers about nutrition, but did not mention her relationship with Mr Hollande.

    Ms Trierweiler was hospitalised last week with what aides described as shock following a tabloid’s publication of photos it said proved her husband was having an affair.

    Trierweiler’s chief of staff, Patrice Biancone, said that her office as first lady would be formally ended tomorrow.

    Asked about her future, she said: “I’ve got time to reflect. I’ve still got a few more years to live.”