FEBRUARY 13, 2004

NEW DELHI: French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin on Friday assured a delegation of Sikhs that their religious sentiments would be fully respected by the French government, while discussing the headscarf bill and a way out would be found.

"The Sikh community is respected in France and we know the sacrifices they made during the World War I, fighting with France. However, we are exploring a way out, taking into account the specifics of Sikh religion," the French minister said after meeting the delegation.

"The French government is trying to explore how the principle of tolerance of religion and the principle of neutrality in schools can be balanced," he told the delegation comprising Union Chemicals & Fertilisers Minister S S Dhindsa, Chairman, National Commission for Minorities, Tarlochan Singh and S S Bhaur, Gen Secy, SGPC.

The French ambassador here and the Education Ministry in France have been having dialogue with Sikh delegations and we are sure that a solution can be reached," he said.

As the Sikh delegation was meeting the French Foreign Minister, Rashtriya Sikh Sangat and National Akali Dal activists carried placards outside the meeting venue, carrying placards " Turban is an inseparable part of Sikh life and Americans, Canadians and UK Supreme Courts had delivered judgem ents allowing Sikhs to wear a turban. Let the French not discriminate".

"We have put forward our views before the Foreign Minister that a turban is a religious symbol. During 300 years of Sikh history no Sikh has gone anywhere without his turban," Tarlochan Singh said.

(Source PTI)