French FM denies report of bin Laden's death

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said late on Sunday that the French authorities had not been informed either of a health problem, or of the death of al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

"To my knowledge, Osama bin Laden is not dead," said Douste-Blazy in an interview with LCI television, casting doubt on the leaked secret document saying that the terrorist chief had died of typhoid.

On Saturday, L'Est Republicain, a French newspaper, quoted a French intelligence memo as saying that Saudi Arabia was convinced that bin Laden had died of typhoid at a hideout in Pakistan last month.

The report, which was dated Sept. 21 and had been shown to French President Jacques Chirac, said, "According to a usually reliable source, the Saudi services are now convinced that Osama bin Laden is dead."

The information was "in no way confirmed," said French President Jacques Chirac on Saturday at a news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Compiegne, France, where the leaders were meeting.

Chirac confirmed that the memo was genuine, but expressed his surprise that l'Est Republicain had published an excerpt from a French secret service note relaying information from Saudi Arabia's intelligence service.

To date, France, the United States, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have not yet officially confirmed the death of the al-Qaida leader, saying that they had no evidence to support the assertion in the memo.

Source: Xinhua