French President Rejects World Criticism on Release of Daoud

French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing said here today that “France has no lessons to receive from anyone” and charged that the international protests caused by the release of Palestinian terrorist Abu Daoud were part “of a world-wide orchestrated campaign of insults and calumnies against France.”

The President, who used harsh and strong statements in attacking all those who had criticized Daoud’s liberation, said “France’s foreign policy is not laid down in the news rooms of international news media but is worked out by the President, the Prime Minister and the government.”

Giscard d’Estaing kept the Abu Daoud issue to the end of his press conference and then devoted only 15 minutes to it. However, they were minutes packed with open anger. Giscard d’Estaing stressed: “France has been the object of a worldwide campaign of insults and vilification which hit at France’s honor and dignity.” He added that “The amplitude of the slander campaign just do not seem to accept that France has an independent policy.”

The only explanation the President gave for France’s decision to free Abu Daoud was addressed “to the families of the 11 Israeli victims of the Munich massacre.” Even to them, he did not offer sympathy or even a message of condolences but gave a ten-word legal explanation of why France had turned down the Israeli extradition request.

HINTS AT A JEWISH CAMPAIGN

The President, who seemed to hint at a Jewish campaign against France in his statement, went on to remind the Munich victims’ families that “they should respect French laws which know no ambiguities whatever the reactions they might give rise to.” He underlined that these families should rely on French laws especially as they had known in “other times and in other places an unjust, arbitrary and state imposed justice.”

Giscard d’Estaing blamed West Germany for Daoud’s release saying that the chief of the French Foreign Ministry’s cabinet asked last Monday afternoon that the West German Charge d’Affaires-speed up the diplomatic request for his extradition. He said that when no request was received on Tuesday, the Palestinian was released.

The French President went on to recall that Daoud was only charged with having instigated the Munich massacre and noted that the three surviving Palestinians who carried out the attack were freed by West Germany six weeks after the actual killing. “Where are they now?” Giscard d’Estaing asked.

He tried to impress on his listeners France’s “even-handed” attitude by saying that during the Entebbe affair France refused to accept any discrimination between French and Israelis aboard the plane. He claimed France had always adopted a strong-arm approach to terrorism and quoted in evidence the fact that the Croatian terrorists who hijacked a TWA plane were arrested and handed over to the American police.

AUDIENCE TAKEN BY SURPRISE

The French President’s statement took by surprise French officials, foreign diplomats and Israeli circles. They all thought Giscard d’Estaing would use his press conference to try and placate Israeli anger. But, apparently, smarting personally from the international criticism of France, he lashed out at Israel and world opinion.

Officials here believe that France-Israeli relations are now at a stalemate. Giscard d’Estaing’s angry outburst will not permit Israeli Ambassador Mordechai Gazit to return to his post in Paris soon and will probably force the Israeli authorities to reply in kind.

Officials here say Giscard d’Estaing’s attitude was dictated by personal consideration and also by the split within his majority coalition. He apparently feared that the group that split away under the leadership of former Premier Jacques Chirac would accuse him of minimizing France’s honor and dignity. Whatever the reason, the France-Israeli crisis has now moved up one notch.