France, the U.N. and justice

France is about to get a taste of international justice.

Ivory Coast would take France to the world court for violating bilateral defence accords after French forces destroyed Ivorian military aircraft, a lawyer for the Ivorians said today. . .

Patricia Hamza, a lawyer working with an Ivory Coast presidential mission in Brussels, said a suit against France would be lodged with the International Court of Justice, the UN's highest legal body, in The Hague.

"A complaint lodged by the state of Ivory Coast against the French state ... is the next logical step in this crisis," she said. . .

Ms Hamza said Ivory Coast denounced "the violation of the defence accords" and of UN security council resolution 1528, which was adopted in February and, in part, reaffirms the former French colony's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

It would also complain about "the facts on the ground: the destruction of the aircraft, the order given by President (Jacques) Chirac is utterly illegal," she said. . .

Ivorian authorities said 57 civilians were killed and more than 2200 injured in five days of unrest between November 6 and 10, including an unconfirmed number by French troops.

Ms Hamza said two other complaints had been lodged in the name of "civilian victims"; one at a court in the capital, Abidjan, and another with a tribunal in Paris, which must determine whether it has jurisdiction.

So, are the French troops responsible for killing Ivorian civilians? Well, it's unclear.

And who else than the French Defence Minister, Michèle Alliot-Marie, is best suited to make a declaration when the situation is unclear?

French Defence Minister Alliot Michele-Marie [sic] acknowledged French troops might have been responsible for some Ivorian casualties during demonstrations earlier this month, having earlier said the deaths and injuries had been caused by clashes between demonstrators and local police. . .

Ms Alliot-Marie brushed off the prospect of a lawsuit.

"Ivory Coast is putting out a lot of information and, in a number of cases, disinformation," she said on RTL radio.

They **might** have learnt from the best...

"As a lawyer by training, I cannot see this leading anywhere". . .

In her radio interview, Ms Alliot-Marie admitted that French fire may have been responsible for a number of Ivorian casualties, but insisted that the troops had been forced to take action.

"They were forced to shoot. They carried out warning shots and, in a few cases, were forced to make full use of their firearms. There was no way of avoiding it," she said.

"The French army will have to be held accountable for this slaughter, because these are Gestapo methods that need to be completely condemned and denounced," estimated Alain Toussaint, an adviser to Mr. Gbagbo.

"French authorities will have to explain those losses of control and these grave mistakes that are contrary to fundamental laws, even in times of war," he added.

(emphasis mine)