25 November 2015•Update: 25 November 2015
PARIS
France will deploy 10,800 security forces during the UN climate change conference (COP21) due to kick off on Nov. 30, said French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve on Wednesday.
France has decided to proceed with organizing the conference despite the attacks that claimed 130 lives in the French capital on Nov.13.
Cazeneuve said 8,000 police and gendarmes forces would be posted to carry out border checks and 2,800 would be deployed at the conference venue in Le Bourget, a northeastern suburb of the capital, home of the Parisian region third biggest airport.
Cazeneuve added that 120,000 police and troops had already been mobilized across France since the Nov.13 attacks, after which French President Francois Hollande announced the state of emergency, which was extended for a further three months.
Following the attacks, the French government has banned major demonstrations and events planned by environmental groups for Sunday and for Dec.12, the day after the summit is scheduled to end.
Cazeneuve also said that major avenues around Paris will be completely closed off at certain times to allow world leaders to travel to and from the site.
To encourage Parisians to leave their cars at home on Sunday and Monday, Paris authorities will make public transport free during the two days.
"These are exceptional measures," said Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo
More than 150 nations are expected to meet in Paris from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 in a bid to strike a deal on carbon emissions regulations meant to keep the global average temperature within two degrees Celsius of what it was at the dawn of the industrial revolution.
