France expressed its support on Sunday for a West African arms embargo against Guinea, and said the perpetrators of a bloody crackdown on protesters there must be brought to justice, Reuters reported. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed the embargo on Guinea on Saturday. It also threatened full sanctions on Niger if President Mamadou Tandja did not take steps to resolve the country"s political crisis. The French Foreign Ministry welcomed ECOWAS"s support for an independent international investigation into the events in Guinea on Sept. 28, when more than 150 people died after gunmen used live rounds against protesters in a stadium. "The international community"s message is simple: murderers and rapists must be identified, judged and punished, just like the ones who ordered these acts," Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a statement. --SP
