French President Jacques Chirac told French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre
Raffarin on Monday that "all necessary means, in goods, humanitarian aid and
medical aid, should be mobilized to meet the needs of the countries stricken
bythe tidal waves.
According to a statement released by Chirac's office, Chirac talked with
Raffarin earlier in the day over France's action to meet the humanitarian
emergency situation in Southeast Asia hit bytsunamis triggered by a series of
huge undersea earthquakes near the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Chirac also made sure that the state services are continuing tobe mobilized
with the concerned tour-operators to bring aid to theFrench nationals in danger
or in difficulty and notably to facilitate their return to France in best
conditions, his office said.
An earthquake, with a magnitude of 8.7 according to the China Earthquake
Administration, hit at 6:58 am (0058 GMT) Sunday off the west coast of the
Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is followedby tsunamis that swept across the
coastal countries of the Indian Ocean rim Sunday, destroying villages, flooding
cities and killingover 23,700 people.
About 5,000 French people are on vacation in the stricken region, among whom
six were killed and 16 reported missing.
