FRENCH PRIME MINISTER CREDITS SWC FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION ON AL-MANAR BROADCASTS INTO ASIA LEADING TO HALTING OF TRANSMISSIONS BY FRANCE TELECOM

Translation of the "Globecast/Al-Manar" letter from the French Prime Minister's Office to Dr. Shimon Samuels.

From Mr. Pierre Mongin, Director of the Prime Minister's Staff To Dr. Shimon Samuels, Director for International Affairs, Simon Wiesenthal Centre-Europe Dated Paris, 29 August 2005 (reference 1655)

Mr. Director,

In your letter of 20 July, you attracted the attention of the Prime Minister to the conditions in which Globecast, a branch of France Télécom, via the services it furnishes to Arabsat, indirectly contributed to the diffusion of the Al-Manar channel in Asian countries.

Mr. Dominique de Villepin has asked me to answer you that, as soon as this situation was made known to the French government thanks to your intervention, the necessary steps were taken toward the concerned companies to ensure that they decide to cease all participation in the diffusion of a channel with unacceptable program content towards any country whatsoever. The President of France Télécom informed me that the situation had been taken care of as of 3 August 2005, and that the transmission by Globecast of Al-Manar was henceforth interrupted.

Thanking you for having notified us of this affair, I beg you to accept, Mr. Director, the expression of my best regards.

Pierre Mongin

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