Judges Try a New Strategy in French Slander Trial.

The article reports on a confrontation technique used by French judges as they sought the truth amid contradictory statements made in the slander trial that places plaintiffs including President Nicolas Sarkozy against former Premier Dominique de Villepin and others. Direct confrontations between defendants and key witness General Philippe Rondot were scheduled by the judges. De Villepin was accused of complicity in an alleged plan to discredit Sarkozy ahead of the presidential election in 2007.