Kurds get taste of French freedom

Few have so far taken the chance to leave the camp

Hundreds of Kurds left stranded on the French coast have been given temporary residency in France and allowed to leave the military camp where they are staying.

Tomorrow I will buy my wife a glass of French wine, a glass of freedom

Shyar Shukry

They now have eight days to file claims for political asylum and can travel freely within France during that time.

France has made it clear that it will not automatically grant the Kurds asylum, but it has also said it will not repatriate them to Iraq.

Over 900 Kurds - more than half of them children - were shipwrecked on the French Riviera at the weekend when the crew deliberately ran their ship aground.

They are believed to have paid traffickers $4,200 per adult and $1,700 per child to get to Europe, and had been held in squalid conditions in the ship's hold.

Slip through the net

Until now, the Kurds have not been allowed to leave their accommodation, sparking criticism from human rights campaigners, including Danielle Mitterrand, widow of the former French president.

Passport to freedom... for now at least

"Tomorrow, as soon as it is light out, we will go into town and I will buy my wife a glass of French wine, a glass of freedom," said Shyar Shukry on receiving his temporary pass.

But early reports say so far few of the asylum seekers have chosen to leave the disused military barracks near Frejus where they have been staying.

They must now complete their asylum applications within the next eight days or become illegal immigrants.

Critics of the French system say the eight-day ruling gives asylum seekers the chance to go underground and make their way to other European countries, such as Britain and Germany which are seen as being softer on immigration.