DOS Cable re: Families of French Guantanamo Bay Detainees Increase Pressure on Government of France to Press for their Release from U.S. Custody

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DOS Cable re: Families of Guantanamo Detainees Increase Pressure on Government of France. This cable expresses the French government's preference to have French citizens returned to France to face the French judicial system and to pursue that policy with U.S. officials. The U.S. Embassy received a diplomatic note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dated February 19 that passed on the request of four attorneys for the families of the French detainees at Guantanamo to be allowed to visit the base.

Doc_type: 
Cable
Doc_date: 
Thursday, March 4, 2004
Doc_rel_date: 
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Doc_text: 

r
UNCLASSIFIED RELEASED IN PART
NNotesTele.TXT Bl, 1.4(B) 1.4(D), B7(C)
CONFIDENTIAL
TELEGRAM.N March 04, 2004

To:N

SECSTATE WASHDC - IMMEDIATE

Action:N

SCT

From:N

AMEMBASSY PARIS (PARIS 1672 - IMMEDIATE)

TAGS:N

CJAN, PGOV, PHUM, PTER, FR

Captions: None

Subject: FAMILIES OF GTMO DETAINEES INCREASE PRESSURE ON GOF

Ref:N

None

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Sharon Wiener for reasons
1
.5 (b) and (d).

1.
(C) This cable conveys a dip note and contains a guidance
request (see paras 5 and 6).

2.
(C)/

TJ The MFA spokesperson has publicly stated the
GoF's preference to have the detainees returned to France and

tried .under the French judicial system,)

\on
February 20, the MFA spokesperson stated, "France plans to
pursue its contacts with the American authorities to seek to
have the detainees returned to their.country."

Page 1

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE REVIEW AUTHORITY: CHARLES L DARIS
DOS-001107
DATE/CASE ID: 13 DEC 2004 200303827 •

UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED
NotesTele.TXT

\lawyers for the French
detainees at Guantanamo, who in January formed an alliance
with British human rights activists, including actress
Vanessa Redgrave's brother Colin Redgrave and former Lebanese
hostage Torry Waite, to create the "Commission on Human
Rights at Guantanamo." This group has publicly criticized
the GoF for "absolute inaction." 1

N/in September 2003, 120
deputies signed a petition calling for the government to seek
the repatriation of the detainees.

4.
(C) The Embassy has received a diplomatic note from the
MFA dated February 19 that passed on the request of four
attorneys for the families of the French detainees at
Guantanamo to be allowed to visit the base (faxed to WE/EUR
March 2; full text below). On March 3, press reports
indicated that some of these attorneys, accompanied by the
mayor of Venissieux (the Lyonnais suburban hometoWn of
several of the detainees), representatives of the "Committee
of Support to Families of Venissieux," and Colin Redgrave,
will travel to the U.S. this weekend to present their
concerns in Washington and at the UN in New York. We do not
have additional information on their scheduled meetings.

5.
(U) Informal translation of dipnote:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents its compliments to

the Embassy of the United States in Paris and has the honor

of informing it of the request of the attorneys for the

French detainees at Guantanamo to be allowed to visit the

American naval base in order to visit their clients. The

request has been expressed by:

-- Paul-Albert Iweins, former head of the Paris Bar, attorney
for
-- Jean-Marc Florand, attorney for
-- William Bourdon
-- Jacques Debray, attorneys forl

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be grateful if the

United States Embassy would transmit this request to the

competent American authorities and keep it informed of their

response

Page 2

DOS-001108
UNCLASSIFIED

Doc_nid: 
6177
Doc_type_num: 
68