PARIS: A French colonel was placed under formal investigation by a judge yesterday in connection with the leaking of sensitive documents about French peacekeepers in Kosovo.
Colonel Jean-Michel Mechain, 46, who returned from Kosovo in February, appeared before an investigating magistrate after being detained for questioning on Friday.
A French translator of Albanian origin who had worked with the colonel in Kosovo was also detained for questioning last week and is reportedly also a prime suspect in the leaked account of frustration of senior officers in the Balkan province.
Mechain was also involved in a street fight last week with eight army investigators conducting an internal inquiry into the leaks.
q European Union foreign policy czar Javier Solana received an honorary knighthood from the Queen yesterday for his services as secretary general of Nato, particularly during the Kosovo crisis. He received the honour from British ambassador Sir John Goulden at alliance headquarters in Brussels.
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