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>> the former french president, jacques chirac, found guilty of embezzlement and abuse of power, but he escapes a prison sentence. so long, farewell. american troops prepare their formal departure from iraq. more than 100 died from drinking illicit alcohol in india and many more are critically ill. welcome to "bbc world news." i'm david eades. also coming up in the program -- china's government bows to crack down on the leaders of a revolt in a village in the country's southern guangdong province. >> why am i wearing a mask? >> hello.

the former french president, jacques chirac, has been found guilty on two counts of embezzlement and abuse of power when he was mayor of paris. it was the first trial of an ex-head of state in france since marshall, who led the collaborationist government faced his trial after the second world war. well, mr. chirac stood accused of creating jobs for officials of his own party when he was mayor of paris. he's also been given a two-year suspended, i should point out, suspended prison sentence. that judgment passed down just a few moments ago, but the judge did describe mr. chirac as a number of other people also facing trial. as the principal author of the crimes committed. we're going to have more on that obviously for you in the course of the bulletin with christian frazier, our paris correspondent, in just a moment or two, so do stay with us for that.

formal ceremony is due to get underway very soon indeed to mark the end of military operations in iraq. the flag lowering will draw a line under a wall, which claims the lives of almost 4,500 american soldiers and cost the u.s. around a trillion dollars. earlier, fort bragg in north carolina, president obama welcomed home some of the last troops to return. he admitted that the new iraq was not perfect, but insisted that the country was now stable and self-reliant. steve kingston has this. >> packing up and heading for the exit, the last of the american troops in iraq. today their flag will be ceremonyly lowered. after almost nine years, the mission is over. many iraq veterans were still in school when it all began, but fort bragg in north carolina, service was saluted by the commander in chief. >> we're leaving behind a sovereign, stable, and self-republican linet iraq with a representative government

that was elected by its people. we're building a new partnership between our nations. and we are ending a war not with a final battle, but with a final march toward home. this is an extraordinary achievement. >> he did not declare victory, in stark contrast to a predecessor whose moment was painfully premature. the iraq war may have begun with a devastating show of u.s. firepower, which soon toppled the one-man regime, but america lost 4,500 lives to a stubborn insurgency and could only watch as the new iraq descended into a sectarian free-for-all. as a young state senator, barack obama had called it a dumb war, but political opponents say the real stupidity is in ending america's role before the job is done. >> it is clear that this

decision and a complete pullout of the united states troops from iraq was dictated by politics and not our national security interest. i believe that history will judge this president's leadership with scorn and disdain that it deserves. the iraq that america leaves behind is unsettled and frequently unsafe. here, they were clearing up after a roadside bomb attack in baghdad on tuesday, which killed two police officers. the outgoing u.s. commander voiced his fears to an american network. we can expect to see violence in the future. we know al qaeda is going to do what they've always done. they'll going to continue to try to focus on the government and the iraqi security forces. >> others fear the creeping influence of neighboring iran and a fragile democracy where the main u.s. base is now a

ghost town. the iraqis are in charge, and they're on their own. steve kingston, bbc news, washington. a the moment of which the flag will come down is not so very far away. we've got some pictures for you here in baghdad, where the ceremony itself will take place. the u.s. defense secretary, leon panetta, in attendance as well for what may well be a relatively gentle, somber, quiet procession of events. nonetheless, it is a day that will go down in the history books as the formal close of combat for american troops in iraq. we'll keep across that for you of course here on "bbc world news." i wanted to bring you more now on our breaking and leading story this hour, and that is that jacques chirac has been found guilty of embezzlement and abuse of power on two counts against him while he was mayor of paris. joining me now is our paris correspondent, christian

fraser, with more. perhaps you can just fill out a little bit for us the details of what he's been found guilty of, first of all. >> well, he hired members of his political party between 1977 and 1995 and paid them through the creation of fake jobs within city hall, effectively using the city's payroll, if you will, to run his campaign for presidential election. and he's been found guilty, as up say, of embezzlement and breach of trust. there's another count here, which i believe translates as collusion or illegal exploitation of conflict of interest. i've just been told in the last few minutes he's been given a two-year suspended sentence, which is close to what the current foreign minimum sters was given in 2004. that was a case that was linked to this one. i think it's -- it will come as a surprise to the french public, because there was not

insignificant pressure, david, from both the prosecution and the defense. the prosecution said it had not been proven to say that they knew of individual cases. the defense said to the judge he had a real seriousness when he looked through, and he said this will determine the final portrayal of our former president, jacques chirac, and you should weigh that heavily when you make that decision. he decided there was a case to answer, and he's given the former president a two-year suspended sentence. >> jacques chirac wasn't in court. he's 79 years old now. he's been known to suffer from a condition that's similar to alzheimer's. there's memory loss, but the sufferer doesn't know what they're suffering from memory loss. so there could have been a scenario where he'd been on the stand giving what he thought was the right answer to the question, but probably had no

basis in fact or on the history of the case. so they decided on that basis that he shouldn't be put on the stand and interviewed by the prosecution and the defense. there were nine other co-defendants in this case. we're yet to find out what has happened to them, but they pleaded all the way through this, that you couldn't have a fair trial if the key defendant wasn't able to give evidence himself. >> christian, thank you very much indeed for that. my eye was caught by the last words of the judge actually. jacques chirac not in court, but he did quote him from when he appeared in the tribunal just to say that this trial would disprove the view of all those in our country who believe that justice is severe on the weak and soft on the powerful. in our republic, justice is the same for all. that was the judge reiterating what jacques chirac had said about that trial taking place. we'll have more on that case during the course of "bbc world

news." now, in the meantime, aaron is here with the business. i say business. it's the business. eurozone. you've got another pretty bleak forecast for what's coming. >> yeah, absolutely. i'm sitting with a couple of reports. let me just touch on the first one you're talking about, the bleak winter, which is the warning, if you will, the forecast from ernst & young. they're saying, of course, that a mild recession is expected, very likely the first half of next year, with eurozone economic growth of just .9% for the whole of 2012. i'm going to stop there and i'll have more in 20 minutes. >> aaron, thanks. i want to take you straight over to baghdad, because the moment, the formal withdrawal of u.s. troops from baghdad, from iraq, after eight years and nine months, is now upon us, as you can see there. it will be the lowering of the flag which signals the end of combat. it doesn't actually mean every

last american soldier will have left the country in the course of today or even tomorrow, but by the end of the year, that is intended to be the case, as president obama described this extraordinary achievement, as he called it, of american forces, 4,500 of whom have lost their lives over the course of those nearly nine years since the american-led invasion of iraq began. the removal of saddam hussein taking place, seems so very long ago new, doesn't it, and ultimately, with elections, a view that the americans feel they can withdraw from iraq and leave what president obama described as a sovereign, stable, self-reliant country to get on with his own business with a government elected by its people. as president obama also said, it concludes one of the most extraordinary chapters in the history of the american

military. in attendance also, the u.s. defense secretary, leon panetta, who has flown into iraq and is attending the ceremony here in baghdad. recognition, too, both from the military and indeed from the political establishment that it doesn't mean withdrawal of troops to leave behind a pretty picture. a full recognition there will almost certainly be plenty of cases of violence. there will be sectarian difficulties and sectarian tensions and pretty indisputably, i think, more deaths to follow, as mr. obama

also said. they're going to face terrorism, something reiterated by mr. panetta, challenges to democracy, challenges to the establishment of their future. and while this doesn't really make a huge amount of difference in practical terms, in terms of getting boots off the ground, as it were, that has largely happened. in terms of american involvement in the day-to-day practical sense in the security of the country, that has largely come to a conclusion. of course, the symbolism takes us right back short of nine years now. that's highly important, and worth remembering, as the americans mark their departure from the scene, the tens of thousands, as my colleague, jim muir, was saying a short while ago, the figure is as high as

150,000 iraqis who have lost their lives in the course of those long nine years. >> ladies and gentlemen, let us pray. almighty god, today marks a very important day in the history of iraq and the united states. since 2003, our nations sought a common good rarely tried in the history of man kind, to bring the rule of law to a nation. in so doing, iraq and america sacrifice their most precious resources in the lives of service members and citizens. these sacrifices were not in vain, and therefore, we pray that a new spirit of peace and friendship will flow across this land and that all iraqis will work together for their mutual growth and prosperity. give its leaders and people a renewed sense of hope for the days ahead, and we thank you for the leadership of general austin, who led the u.s. forces in iraq, grant wisdom to

ambassador jeffrey as he builds on the success of these years. we will thank you for all these things, which we humbly ask in your holy name, amen. >> please be seated. the soul of the military unit is embodied in the clors in which it fights. the colors stand in testimony of all they've accomplished through history. this inspires future success, peace, and war. we rally to the colors, safeguard them from harm, loss, and dishonor as we would guard ourselves. today the colors, we close not only a chapter of history, but also a chapter of american military history. today we mark the end of operation new dawn. though these storied colors will fly no more, they will never fade in the memory of all who have sacrificed so much to bring the promise of freedom to the people of iraq. now moving forward, the commanding general of the united states force in iraq,

the command sergeant, the command sergeant. >> as we watch the procession itself, just worth reminding us that there were nearly 170,000 u.s. personnel in iraq. they were stationed at 500 bases across the country.

that just gives you a reminder of the extent, the scale of the american involvement in the country itself, and what we have whittled down to, particularly in the last two to three years, is just over 4,000 american soldiers still on iraqi soil in various capacities. that number going down by the day, as it will continue to do so through to the end of the year. >> ladies and gentlemen, ambassador james jeffrey. >> mr. minister, american and iraqi colleagues and friends, it is my honor today to welcome you, mr. secretary, once again here to iraq, to participate in this ceremony, ending u.s. f.i.

in doing so,' look back at the sacrifices made by so many americans and so many iraqis, but we also look forward to an iraq that is sovereign, secure and self-reliant, an iraq with whom the united states government will continue to work in every way possible, building on the successes of our colleagues and usfi, led by general austin. in doing so, as the american mission moves forward, we will bear constantly in mind the responsibilities those of us have in the future, for those of us who have given so much in the past. mr. secretary, we thank you for your support, both in your

current position and as director of the c.i.a. thank you very much for coming here today. awe mr. ambassador, thank you very much. sergeant major, general austin, general mat is, colonel dempsey, honored guests, it is a profound honor to be here in baghdad and to have the opportunity to participate in this moving ceremony on this very historic occasion. for both the iraqi people and the american people. no words, no ceremony can provide full tribute to the

sacrifices that have brought this day to pass. i'm reminded of what president lincoln said at gettysburg about a different war and a different time. as he paid tribute to the fallen in that war. his words echo through the years, as we pay tribute to the fallen of this war. the world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here . but it can never forget what they did here. today we are honored by the presence of so many

distinguished guests from the iraqi and american governments. and to the distinguished members of the iraqi government and the iraqi military, thank you for your courage, for your leadership, for your friendship over these many number of years. more importantly, thank you to your loyalty for the future of iraq. your dream of an independent and sovereign iraq is now a reality. we are deeply fortunate that in addition to all the great commanders who led our troops here, there are two great americans who step forward to lead this mission through this

final transition. today we honor these two national treasures. ambassador jeffrey and general austin. jim, i want to thank you for your wise counsel, for your brilliant diplomacy, at a time that called for both. and lloyd, our nation owes you its highest gratitude for your tireless commitment to this mission through multiple, lengthy deployments. i want to offer my deepest thanks on behalf of the american people for shouldering the burden of leadership. lloyd, your effort to make this day reality is nothing short of

miraculous. this was one of the most complex, logical undertakings in u.s. military history. 50,000 u.s. troops withdrawn seamlessly. dozens of bases closed or hand over. millions of pieces of equipment that had to be transferred, all while maintaining the security of our forces and the security of the iraqi people. lloyd, you'll now reunite at the pentagon with someone else whose able leadership under critical time in this war effort helped achieve its ultimate success, u.s. army chief of staff. and together with ray, you'll now lead the army through an important moment of transition

as vice chief of staff. you're part of a generation of battle-proven leaders who have now taken the reins of our national security. i can't tell you how much we benefit from that experience. lloyd, i know you're ensure with others who fought in this conflict that as we confront the strategic challenges of the future, we will now forget the lessons of war, nor will we ever forget the sacrifices of the more than one million men and women of the united states armed forces who served in iraq and the sacrifices of their families through deployment

after deployment after deployment, families somehow withstood the strain, the sacrifice, and the heartbreak of watching their loved ones go off to war. the loved ones fought in places like fallujah and ramadi and sadr city and elsewhere. and today in particular, we remember the nearly 4,500 brave americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, as well as the more than 30,000 wounded warriors, many of whom still struggle with serious, life-altering injuries.

to all the men and women of today, your nation is deeply indebted to you. you have done everything your nation asks you to do and more. your dedication to this commitment has been the driving force behind the remarkable progress that we've seen here in baghdad and across this country. you came to this land between the rivers again and again and again. you did not know whether you'd return to your loved ones. you will leave with great pride. >> u.s. defense secretary leon panetta addressing the troops in baghdad at the formal departure of american forces from the country. you're watching "bbc world news."

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