France envoy hails terror tag on Masood Azhar

New Delhi: Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar was all set to face sanctions as a terrorist by the European Union due to the efforts of France but the proposed move has now been “supplanted” by the UN designation of Azhar as a global terrorist, French ambassador Alexandre Ziegler said on Friday, even as he termed the listing of Azhar by the UN as a “very good news for the world community” and “an important political decision”.

The French envoy also said that “the listing of Masood Azhar by the UN Sanctions Committee is a watershed in our long fight against terrorism”.

The UN sanctions on Azhar will need to be followed by all countries including the EU nations. The French ambassador said the UN listing would “hinder the JeM chief’s  activities”. He also said that India had been officially invited (by France as the host) to the G-7 Summit to be held in France in August this year. The G-7 group comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, termed as seven of the “largest” advanced economies in the world.

The French envoy described the listing of Masood Azhar as “a successful realisation of the diplomatic efforts that France has been conducting for many years.”