'He has rendered profound services to France'
French President praises Nazi-hunter Klarsfeld

JEWISH CHRONICLE OCTOBER 6 2000
FROM MICHEL ZLOTOWSKI, PARIS

   THE FRENCH Nazi-hunter and lawyer Serge Klarsfeld was promoted to the rank of Officer in the Legion of Honour this week by President Jacques Chirac.
   Mr Chirac described Mr Klarsfeld as a man who had dedicated his life to bring Nazi criminals to court "in memory of all the victims of the Holocaust."
   "Everybody knows about the struggle led by Serge Klarsfeld at the head of the association that he created, the Sons and Daughters of Jews deported from France," President Chirac declared.
   "He has fought in memory of his father, a member of the Resistance who died during deportation, and of all the victims of the Holocaust. He himself escaped [being a victim] by a miracle."
   The French President referred to the crucial role played also by Mr Klarsfeld's wife, Beate.
   "[Klarsfeld's] encounter with, and his subsequent marriage to Berlin-born Beate Kunzel, who since 1967 has committed herself to challenge the impunity of Nazi war criminals, gave a new direction to his life.
   "Their common objective was to bring these criminals to court and have them judged. The investigations and the doggedness of Serge Klarsfeld and his wife led to trials in Cologne, Kiel, and Bonn," President Chirac declared, singling out Mr Klarsfeld's role in bringing about "the extradition of Klaus Barbie — former chief of the Lyons Gestapo — from Bolivia and... his subsequent conviction."
   The President added: "The numerous works that Serge Klarsfeld pub-
   lished about the Holocaust are now benchmarks and have won him several distinctions."
   He said Mr Klarsfeld's life and work had been "deeply rooted in justice, in human rights and freedom," adding that he had rendered "profound services" to France.