Beef Feud Just the Beginning»

Angered by the US move to ban French beef, the French agriculture minister, Herve Gaymard, said there was no justification for a ban on French meat products imposed by the US authorities on Monday.

While criticizing the decision, Gaynard avoided linking the move by the Department of Agriculture to the continued uneasy relationship between Paris and Washington as a result of differences over the handling of Iraq.

A French agriculture ministry official said yesterday it was still unclear how long the ban would remain.