Hollande voices tough immigration stance before French voteApril 27, 2012 - 20:41 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - French Socialist presidential frontrunner Francois Hollande toughened his stance on immigration Friday April 27 in a campaign increasingly fought on themes dear to the far right, AFP reported. Hollande will face right-wing Nicolas Sarkozy in a May 6 run-off for the presidency, and both are scrambling to recruit voters who backed far-right anti-immigrant candidate Marine Le Pen in the first round. Sarkozy has gone the furthest to reach out to the former pariah, insisting that her values are not incompatible with France's republican tradition, and vowing to secure Europe's borders and fight multiculturalism. But first-round winner Hollande, attacked by the right for his plan to give foreign residents the vote in local elections, has come under pressure to clarify his stance on immigration and citizenship ahead of a debate next week. Le Pen did well in Sunday's first-round among white working class voters who might once have backed the left and in a radio interview on Friday the Socialist candidate made a concession to their concerns. "In the period of crisis we are going through, limiting economic immigration is necessary and essential," he told RTL radio. "I also want to fight illegal immigration on the economic front. It is not right that a certain number of employers, in a cynical way, are hiring illegal migrants," he said. Hollande repeated a pledge to ask parliament to cap the number of migrants allowed into France every year - Sarkozy has vowed to halve the number to around 100,000 - but warned it would never halt the flow. "I don't think there will ever be zero immigration, there will always be legal immigration. Can we reduce the number? That's a debate," he said. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Mirzoyan says meeting with Bayramov was “constructive” At the moment, Ararat Mirzoyan said, there is no basis for additional comments. OSCE vows support for Armenia “in all three directions of security” Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg. 151 detained as civil disobedience campaigns continue in Yerevan Citizens have been blocking streets in the Armenian capital, demanding Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation. France welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan meeting in Almaty France has welcomed the new round of negotiations between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. |