AFP privatisée ? Non merci ! - A Privatised AFP? No Thanks!

Gathered in the northern French city of Arras on December 4, 5 and 6, members of the Mouvement démocrate (MoDem) adopted a programme which includes a pledge to defend the independence of AFP. This is a source of great encouragement for us. It comes on the heels of other expressions of support, such as a letter written by Marie-George Buffet, national secretary of the French Communist Party, to Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand, expressing her party's commitment to our present statutes.
In similar vein, key leaders of the Socialist Party, the Left Party (Parti de gauche), of Jean-Pierre Chévenement's Mouvement Républicain et Citoyen, of Nicolas Dupont-Aignant's Debout la République, of the Left Radical Party (PRG) and of Lutte ouvrière (Workers' Struggle), among others, have signed the petition "for the independence and survival" of AFP. We also note recent signatures by some parliamentarians from the ruling UMP party, and notably that of former interior minister Charles Pasqua.
 
The following is a translation of the relevant passage from the MoDem's new programme:
 
"The independence of Agence France Presse, which plays an essential role, notably for France's regional daily papers and is also vital for France's presence around the world, must be ensured, given that the temptation to reduce its influence, or even to place it under the control of private interests, is again surfacing. There is no reason to turn AFP into a joint-stock company, even one in which the capital is mainly held by the state".
Related Links (in French):

• Article on the "SOS-AFP" web site
• Full text of MoDem party platform

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• Changing AFP's Statutes: "Just Say ...