Chirac meets youths from disadvantaged neighbourhoods

Disadvantaged youths “deserve to be helped, recognised and encouraged,” French President Jacques Chirac said as he met today with a group of successful young entrepreneurs from the low-income neighbourhoods where rioting broke out this month.

As the country’s worst civil unrest in decades has waned, Chirac turned his attention away from security to finding ways to target the roots of the problems faced by people in tough suburbs, including high unemployment and racial discrimination.