French President Nicholas Sarkozy telephoned Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and asked him to help India bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice, Gérard Araud, Director-General of Political Affairs and Security in the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, said during an interaction with media in New Delhi.“We give full support to India and we expect Pakistan to cooperate fully in the investigation,” said Araud, who is here to participate in the India-EU Security Dialogue. He said the issue of the Mumbai attacks came up for discussion at the meeting. France is currently holding the Presidency of the European Union. “I don’t like the idea that terrorists have a reason to attack. They don’t have a reason to attack. Terrorism — you don’t explain it, don’t justify it. You have to just combat it,” Araud said.France, which also suffered casualties in the Mumbai terror attack, is sharing intelligence with India. In further support for India, Araud said that terrorists could not be labeled political fighters but were criminals. The French diplomat said that there would be an EU meeting in Brussels to express support for India. “India’s reactions are very mature,” he said.
