16th January, 2015
French President Francois Hollande has taken a swipe at Islamist movement Boko Haram, who he said were carrying out “crimes of humanity” in Nigeria.
“France must give more help to countries fighting this scourge,” he pledged.
“It’s not just women being kidnapped. That’s already atrocious enough. It’s children being massacred. It’s villages, whole towns being razed,” he said, in reference to recent Boko Haram attacks.
Boko Haram fighters detained hundreds of women and children at a school in the northeast Nigerian town of Baga after a massive attack earlier this month, one woman who was freed told AFP on Friday.
In a wide-ranging foreign policy speech, Hollande also urged Iran to “clarify its position and intentions” in the Middle East, saying it had an “important role” to play in resolving conflicts in the region.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius was to meet his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif later Friday to discuss the thorny issue of Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
US Secretary of State John Kerry was also to hold talks with Zarif as international powers forge ahead with negotiations.
Iran and major world powers have given themselves until late June to reach a comprehensive agreement that would prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb, a goal it denies having, in return for an easing of punishing economic sanctions.