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French minister defends 5-day baby leave

PARIS (Reuters) - French Justice Minister Rachida Dati defended her decision to return to work five days after giving birth to a baby girl in January, in the first interview since her controversially short maternity leave.

Dati, 43, a former star in President Nicolas Sarkozy's cabinet who has fallen from grace, told a French newspaper in the interview released before publication on Sunday that the move had been a personal decision.

"You mustn't believe that I wasn't tired. Of course I was. I'm not 20 any more. Moreover, I'm justice minister, I have my duties," she told Le Journal Du Dimanche. "But, fundamentally, I believe that the most important right of women is freedom."

Dati, a divorcee, has declined to name the father of her daughter ... more

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