Word: mitterrand
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...meant as a soothing dose of diplomacy for a strife-torn territory--and an antidote to criticism at home. French President Francois Mitterrand last week made a sudden visit to the French Pacific-island territory of New Caledonia, where at least 18 people have been killed since November in an increasingly bitter struggle over independence. After announcing the trip in a nationally televised interview, Mitterrand said he was going to the troubled territory to "express what I believe to be reason" and to show support for French Special Envoy Edgard Pisani, author of a controversial independence plan for the islands...
...President's jetliner touched down at Tontouta Airport, he was taken by helicopter to the New Caledonian capital of Noumea, 33 miles away. He was met by 25,000 anti-independence demonstrators waving French flags, singing the Marseillaise and displaying banners that read "Caledonie Francaise Toujours." In the morning, Mitterrand held meetings with Pisani and leaders on both sides of the independence issue...
...Paris, 2,000 separatist sympathizers marched outside Premier Laurent Fabius' office, chanting "Mitterrand killer!" Jacques Chirac, the mayor of Paris and leader of the rightist Rally for the Republic party, called for the suspension of the Pisani plan. Mitterrand, however, remained firmly committed to the proposal...
...French President's surprise visit was viewed as an attempt to bolster his popularity at home before local elections in March and next year's parliamentary ballot. "Mitterrand is trying to disengage himself from overseas torments," said one government official...
...Pisani plan would lead to a Kanak takeover. Pisani declared a state of emergency throughout the territory, including a dawn-to-dusk curfew. In Paris, where Premier Laurent Fabius dispatched 1,000 fresh troops to New Caledonia, a political uproar was brewing. Right-wing opponents of President Francois Mitterrand's Socialist government joined the island's French community in denouncing the Pisani plan...