French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner has admitted that he did not “completely agree” with President Nicolas Sarkozy over the future of French international broadcasting.
At a press conference on Tuesday morning Sarkozy said that the future of French international broadcasting should be wrapped up in France Monde, a channel that would combine the resources of TV5, France 24 and RFI, broadcasting entirely in the French language. It would mean an end to the English, and presumably Arabic, transmissions from France 24.
“It seems pointless to him to compete in English with news channels such as CNN, Al Jazeera or BBC World. To me, not completely,” Koucher told the French press. He added there was a “French touch” that should be developed, stressing that although Sarkozy would take the final decision, the consultation period had barely begun.
