Chad:French Minister denies participation of French troops in fighting

The visiting French Foreign Affairs Minister, Bernard Kouchner, Friday denied the participation of French Special Forces in the fighting between rebels and government troops in the Chadian capital, N’Djamena. Kouchner said his country and Chad were bound by “a bilateral agreement on technical assistance which does not provide for physical participation of French forces in the fighting”. Commenting on the Chadian situation, Kouchner condemned the action of rebel move ments and the “aggression against the legitimate power”. The French paper, La Croix, had noted in its Thursday edition that the participation of French special forces in the fighting at the beginning of the week in N’ D jamena helped to keep President Deby in power.