France's interior minister presented a long-awaited anti-terrorism bill to the Cabinet on Wednesday, rejecting allegations that it would trample on civil liberties. The bill would stiffen prison sentences for convicted terrorists, allow police to monitor citizens who travel to countries known for terror training camps and broaden the use of surveillance cameras, The Associated Press reported. Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has led the effort to boost France's legal arsenal against terrorism, responding to July bombings in London. He rejected claims that his proposed measures will create a police state. "My job is to ensure the safety of people," he told reporters following the Cabinet meeting. The government aims to get the bill, drawn up by the interior and justice ministries, through parliament before the end of the year. President Jacques Chirac's conservatives control both houses. "The terrorist risk is real," Chirac told the Cabinet meeting. The bill gives France "new instruments with which to act," the French leader added, according to a government spokesman.
