PARIS: France said on Friday it would not allow outsiders to dictate its foreign policy after the head of Al-Qaeda's North African wing demanded via an audio recording the withdrawal of French forces from Afghanistan. Abdelmalek Droukdel, leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), said in a message reported by Qatari television station Al-Jazeera that Paris should withdraw its troops if it wanted the safe release of five French nationals held hostage by AQIM. Droukdel also said that any negotiations over the release of the hostages, who are being held in Mali, should be carried out directly with Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, a first for the group, which has previously negotiated directly and not referred to Bin Laden. “France will not accept that its policy is dictated to from outside by anybody,” newly-appointed Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said in a statement, without making a direct reference to the message. Terrorism expert Mathieu Guidere said Droukdel's message was timed to coincide with a NATO summit starting on Friday at which member countries are expected to discuss a calendar for handing over fighting duties to Afghan forces. “This message has come out in time for the NATO summit,” Guidere said. “This is political opportunism.” A French foreign ministry spokesman said the recording was in the process of being authenticated and that Paris was doing its utmost to secure the release of the hostages. The government has said that it has not received any demands from AQIM for the hostages, who were kidnapped in Niger in September. Droukdel's comments will add to fears over the fate of the hostages after President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesday he was “especially worried” about them. “If you want safety for your citizens held captive by us you have to hastily pull out your soldiers from Afghanistan during a specified period of time that you officially announce,” Droukdel said in the audio recording. “If you refuse you will be responsible in front of your people.”
