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From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com
Organization: American Cybercasting
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Subject: France Denies Blocking Ads On Terrorism; U.S. View on Ending Of Contract
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 04:44:31 EST
Message-ID: <51.1992Nov19.044432@AmeriCast.com>

France Denies Blocking Ads On Terrorism; U.S. View on Ending Of
Contract Disputed<

France disclaimed responsibility yesterday for cancellation of
U.S. plans to run a series of anti-terrorist ads on Radio Monte
Carlo as part of an international campaign offering rewards for
information about terrorism.  U.S. officials who asked not to be
quoted complained Tuesday about the radio station's cancellation
of a $45,000 contract to run the announcements and blamed the
French government, which the officials said owned the station,
for the decision.

Jean Mendelson, spokesman at the French Embassy here, said his
government had signed no contract and "therefore any report al-
leging France's cancellation (of it) is completely false." He
said the French government has "a participation" in Radio Monte
Carlo but does not own it. He said "we have nothing to do with
their commercial policy."

Mendelson also denied reports that the State Department has pro-
tested cancellation of the contract. He declared that "no one
from the State Department in Washington nor the U.S.  Embassy in
Paris has approached French authorities in the U.S. or France on
this subject."

A State Department official said Radio Monte Carlo in early Oc-
tober "withdrew its agreement to air the ads." They were to be
broadcast in English and Arabic to a potential audience of 15
million people.

"We are still trying to get a complete explanation" for the can-
cellation, the State Department official added. "We are discuss-
ing the matter with appropriate French officials."<02:40 11-
19C9999-----

Copyright 1992, The Washington Post.  This story is from the
Washington Post's Capitol Edition On-Line and is not to be ar-
chived or redistributed.

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