Dati defends return

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 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."