France marks hostages' sad 'anniversary'

France today marked what President Jacques Chirac called a “sad anniversary” - 100 days since two French reporters were taken hostage in Iraq.

Newspapers marked the day with editorials and French movie star Isabelle Adjani made a radio appeal on their behalf, saying she has not forgotten Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot.

Such appeals run daily, with celebrities taking turns. Portraits of the reporters also hang from the façade of Paris City Hall.

Chirac made a fresh appeal today for the captors to release them.

“The moment has come to return to the path of humanism and give the two hostages back their freedom,” Chirac said in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where he attended a summit of Francophone nations.

The men disappeared on August 20 while driving to the Iraqi city of Najaf. Their Syrian driver, Mohammed al-Joundi, was also captured, but rescued on November 11 by United States Marines sweeping Fallujah.

Al-Joundi is scheduled to give a news conference in Paris on Monday – his first public comments since he was brought to France following his release.

Chesnot works for Radio France Internationale and Malbrunot for the daily newspaper Le Figaro.