Paris, Sept 4, SPA -- French President Jacques Chirac extended France's deepest sympathy to the victims of the school siege in Beslan, and expressed France's solidarity with the people of Russia, in a letter to his Russian counterpart Saturday. In his message to President Vladimir Putin, Chirac said he learned of the siege's bloody end with "shock and very great sorrow". He said France was ready to meet any requests from Russia for medical aid. --SPA 1444 Local Time 1144 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/197996