French political figure Roland Dumas, who served in François Mitterrand’s government, dies at 101

FRANCE 24

3 July 2024 at 10:36 am·1-min read

Roland Dumas, a French political figure who was a close ally of former president François Mitterrand and served in his government in the 1980s and 1990s, mainly as his top diplomat, has died, his family confirmed to AFP and other French media on Wednesday. He was 101.

Dumas, a Socialist, was France’s foreign minister between 1984 and 1986, and then a second time between 1988 and 1993.

After his time in government, Dumas went on to preside France’s Constitutional Council, between 1995 and 1999.

“He was a character from a novel. As a lawyer, he was talent and modesty personified. When you met him, you learnt something,” fellow lawyer Marcel Ceccaldi told AFP.

Dumas was the son of a French Resistance hero who was killed by the Gestapo during World War II. Jacques Attali, a former aide to Mitterrand, recounted that even “after seeing his father shot dead by the Nazis, he became a great actor in Franco-German relations.”

Jacques Attali, a former aide to Mitterrand, recounted that even “after seeing his father shot dead by the Nazis, he became a great actor in Franco-German relations”.

Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti on X saluted a man he described as “a great lawyer then a major politician and finally the president of the Constitutional Council”.

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