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Sarkozy: No U-turn
20/11/2007 21:10 - (SA)
Paris - French President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to stand by his economic reforms on Tuesday in the face of a protest movement that has shut down much of the rail network and brought hundreds of thousands out in street demonstrations.
Speaking before an assembly of mayors, the president said that he had been elected in May to bring in a "clean break" from the past and that he would honour the mandate.
He said: "We will not yield and we will not retreat.
"Let there be no doubt. What needs to be done will be done. What needs to be accomplished will be accomplished. The French elected me to do it, and I will not betray them," he said.
It was the president's first public address since the start of a week-long strike by railway-workers against plans to change their "special" pension system.
Rallies held across the country
The strike, which is causing immense inconvenience to commuters and costing an estimated $590m a day, was joined on Tuesday by hundreds of thousands of teachers, nurses, tax officials and other state employees demanding pay rises and an end to job cuts.
Mass rallies against the government were held in cities across the country, with 30 000 marching with banners across central Paris.
Francois Chereque, the leader of a union that favours a compromise, had to leave the Paris demonstration in haste after being booed.
Sarkozy said he understood the concerns of the striking railway-workers, but - with conciliation talks planned for Wednesday - he urged them to return to work.
Traffic disrupted again
"One must know how to end a strike once the time for discussion has come. Everyone must ask whether it is right to continue a strike which has already cost users - and strikers - so dear.
"I think of those millions of French people who after a day of work have no bus, metro or train to take them home and who are tired of being used as hostages."
Rail and metro traffic was set to remain disrupted on Wednesday, despite the opening of negotiations between unions, government and management. The government originally said it would not join the talks unless the strike was over, but it then dropped the precondition.
- AFP
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