Paris riots spread

French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin cancelled a trip to Canada yesterday to tackle spreading unrest in poor Paris suburbs and quell a damaging public row between his ministers over how to respond.

After a sixth night of unrest, Dominique Villepin summoned eight ministers to a crisis meeting on problem neighbourhoods in an effort to stamp out ministerial squabbling and deflect opposition charges of drift. Street fighting, sparked by the deaths of two teenagers electrocuted while apparently fleeing police during a local disturbance, spread to other parts of the poor suburbs ringing the capital to the north and the east, police said.

A heavy police presence kept a tense order in Clichy-sous-Bois as disturbances broke out in previously quiet areas. A total of 34 people were detained by police overnight, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy told Europe 1 radio.

The unrest has stoked bitter rivalry between Mr Villepin and his deputy Mr Sarkozy ahead of 2007 presidential elections.

Mr Villepin told parliament he had cancelled plans to leave for Canada yesterday. And, while demanding punishment for lawbreakers, he took a calculated swipe at strong language used by Mr Sarkozy, who had called the protesting youths "scum".

"Let's avoid stigmatising areas... let's treat petty crime differently to major crime, let's fight all discrimination with firmness, and avoid confusing a disruptive minority with the vast majority of youngsters who want to integrate into society and succeed," he said.