PARIS (REUTERS) - France's foreign minister on Tuesday (July 21) condemned the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China and said Paris wanted independent observers to be allowed into the area.

"All of the practices in the area are unacceptable because they go against all the global human rights conventions and we condemn them strongly," Jean-Yves Le Drian told lawmakers in parliament.

"We ask that China allows access of international independent observers in this zone and the high commissioner for human rights to be allowed to freely enter this zone."