The French presidency on Monday praised the United States for its "tenacity" in pursuing al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and said justice had been served by his killing by US commandos, DPA reported.
The announcement of bin Laden's death by US President Barack Obama earlier Monday was a "major event in the global fight against terrorism," President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said in a statement.
Attacks carried out by bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network had claimed thousands of lives, "particularly in Muslim countries," the statement noted.
"For these victims, justice has been done," the presidency added.
And yet, while terrorism had suffered a blow, "it's not the end of al-Qaeda," France warned, calling for countries victimized by terrorism to join forces in fighting the threat.
Foreign Minister Alain Juppe told France Inter public radio that bin Laden's demise was "a victory for all democracies fighting against the abominable scourge of terrorism."
Defence Minister Gerard Longuet, meanwhile, expressed hope that bin Laden's death could impact "positively" on the fate of two French journalists being held hostage in Afghanistan for over a year.