French lawmakers withdraw request for meeting to discuss Fillon crisis - source
PARIS (Reuters) - A group of French conservative lawmakers on Tuesday backed down on demanding a crisis meeting to discuss the fate of their presidential candidate Francois Fillon, a parliamentary source said. Some 40 lawmakers, led by Georges Fenech, had earlier written to Fillon requesting a meeting to discuss the "major crisis" amid ongoing allegations of fake work by his wife. The source said Fenech, a supporter of former president Nicolas Sarkozy, had now decided to not make the request during a meeting between Fillon and The Republicans' lawmakers on Tuesday. The source did not say why Fenech had backed down. (Reporting by Emile Picy; writing by John Irish; Editing by Andrew Callus)