France moves immigrant squatters after 7-week drama

CACHAN, France, Oct 7 (Reuters) France started moving 370 immigrant squatters from a sports hall today, ending a seven-week standoff that pitted proponents of tough immigration policies against defenders of a humane treatment of immigrants.

Nicolas Sarkozy, Interior Minister and conservative hopeful for the 2007 presidential elections, has made strict anti-illegal immigration policies a key plank of his programme.

But many politicians and human rights activists rallied behind the cause of some 500 people who had been evicted from a disused university dormitory and had occupied a sports hall at Cachan, near Paris, amid poor sanitary facilities.

''An agreement has been signed at 3:30 this morning (1830 IST) about the housing and protection of 370 people,'' Pierre Henry, director of the France Terre d'Asile humanitarian organisation and a mediator, told Reuters.

''The evacuation is taking place. It seems that responsibility and calm have prevailed and I am profoundly delighted,'' Sarkozy said.

Three buses arrived at the sports hall to take people to their new shelters. Women danced and sang as men gathered belongings and children looked on, wide-eyed.

The evacuation was expected to be completed on Monday.

The more than 200 squatters with residence permits will be rehoused while some 150 illegal immigrants will be dealt with on a 'case by case' basis prior to any deportation decisions.

''We hope to have found a solution that is as humane as possible for these people who were in total distress,'' Richard Serero, secretary-general of the League against Racism and Antisemitism (Licra), told Reuters.

Following the police evacuation on August 17 of a giant squat in a disused university dormitory -- which had been declared a health risk -- 200 to 300 people found refuge in the sports hall. Most are from Sub-Saharan Africa.

''There are some 70 to 80 people who will move today to two or three sites'', said Patrick Gaubert, president of Licra and a European deputy for the UMP government party headed by Sarkozy.

More space to house the squatters was being sought in the Paris region, he said.

Henry said he expected the Interior Ministry would not take decisions until after the presidential elections of 2007. ''A thorough examination means that it will take a long time. It is my feeling that these cases will be frozen until after the end of the presidential elections,'' he said.

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