The French government has been working feverishly to win the release of the two — taken hostage by a radical Islamic group in Iraq — but has steadfastly said it will not repeal the controversial head scarf ban.
As Raffarin met with his cabinet Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier was in Amman to meet with Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muashar. He also may meet with King Abdullah II.
The meetings come after Barnier visited with Egyptian officials Monday in hopes of finding some way to secure the captives’ freedom.
In Russia, French President Jacques Chirac brought up the crisis in his discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Arabic-language news network Al-Jazeera aired a videotaped statement late Monday from the two missing journalists — Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot.
“We ask the French government to show their good intentions towards the Arab and Islamic world and abolish the head scarf law, which is an unjust and unfair law,” Chesnot said.