France says U.N. observers needed to ensure eastern Aleppo evacuation

PARIS (Reuters) - France's foreign minister said on Wednesday that confusion surrounding the evacuation of civilians and rebel fighters from eastern Aleppo showed that it was imperative to have United Nations' observers on the ground to manage the process. "France wants the presence of U.N. observers on the ground and humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross must intervene," Jean-Marc Ayrault told France 2 television. The United Nations said earlier on Wednesday it was "not involved" in plans to evacuate fighters and civilians from eastern Aleppo, but it was ready to help with any evacuation. (Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)