French President Nicolas Sarkozy returned to Paris Sunday with three journalists, who had been detained in Chad for more than a week after an alleged attempt to abduct African children.
Sarkozy and the journalists arrived at a military airport near Paris after his plane dropped off four released Spanish air hostesses in Madrid.
Earlier, the seven people, among 17 Europeans accused of attempted kidnapping in the case, were freed by a Chadian judge.
Before bringing them home, Sarkozy flew to Chad's capital, N'Djamena, and had a two-hour meeting with Chadian President Idriss Deby.
However, they were still charged by the Chadian government with "abduction of minor," "fraud" and "complicity."
In Madrid, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos greeted Sarkozy and the four freed Spaniards at a nearby military airport.
Both the French president and Zapatero thanked Deby for his "help and his understanding" as well as his "positive attitude" during the crisis.
On Oct. 29, 17 Europeans and four Chadians were arrested by police for allegedly flying 103 children out of the African country for adoption in France.
Six remaining French nationals, all volunteers for a French charity called Zoe's Ark, face charges of attempted kidnapping, while three other Spanish flight crew members and a Belgian pilot are accused of complicity.
If convicted, they could be sentenced to up to 20 years of forced labor.
Earlier in Chad, Sarkozy recognized that Zoe's Ark acted "so very badly," saying he hoped that the six remaining French nationals would face trial in France.
Source: Xinhua
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