British intelligence agencies are furious with their French counterparts after being refused assistance in their efforts to track terrorists in this country linked to the Madrid bombers. The row has led to the worst rift between British and French intelligence agencies for years and is hindering attempts to trace connections between Moroccans involved in the Madrid bombs and Islamic militants in Britain. A senior Home Office official said: "We are getting very good co-operation from the Moroccans and the Spanish but there appears to be a hiccup with the French." David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, is seeking to repair the rift in talks with Dominique de Villepin, the French interior minister. The row erupted after Britain declined a French offer to provide Arab speakers with local knowledge to help the coalition in Iraq.
| With Dominique as interior minister we can probably expect more of this sort of thing. |
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