France declassifies Pakistan bombing documents

PARIS (Reuters) - Documents sought by French judges investigating a bomb attack in Pakistan that killed 11 French nationals in 2002 have been declassified, Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told parliament on Wednesday.

A coach carrying French naval engineers and technicians was bombed as it left a hotel in Karachi in May 2002. In all, 14 people were killed in the attack.

Pakistani authorities at first blamed Islamist militants and two men were sentenced to death for taking part in the attacks, but their convictions were overturned on appeal in 2003.

French magistrates Marc Trevidic and Yves Jannier have since begun investigating allegations the attack was orchestrated by unnamed Pakistani officials angry with France over the non-payment of bribes tied to a defence deal.

They were seeking access to 40 classified documents relating to the case.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy dismissed the allegations as a "fable" when they surfaced in June, but Alliot-Marie said it was up to the judges to decide independently "the consequences they intend to draw from all the evidence they gather."

(Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Jon Hemming)