Govt says it welcomes French inquiry help

Press, 10 August 1985, Page 1

Govt says it welcomes French inquiry help

An inquiry by the French Government into the bombing of the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior has been welcomed by the New Zealand Government.

The Acting Prime Minister, Mr Moore, yesterday released the text of a letter from the French President, Mr Francois Mitterrand, condemning the bombing and promising full co-opera-tion of the French authorities.

“It (the letter) is very forthright. I regard his attitude, and that of the French Government, to be most helpful,” Mr Moore said.

In his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, Mr Mitterrand said he intended the affair to be treated with the greatest severity. He acknowledged suggestions that a link might exist between French services and two people charged in connection with the bombing.

“The conclusions of the inquiries in train can only be awaited in order to know the degree of accuracy of this information and which persons may therefore have to answer for their actions.

“Nonetheless, I wish to tell you right away the

extent to which I, and the Government of the Republic with me, censure the criminal attack committed on your territory and which cannot for any reason be excused,” Mr Mitterrand said.

He confirmed that a directive had been issued by the French Prime Minister,

Mr Laurent Fabius, to “afford all possible additional facilities” to the investigations.

Mr Moore said New Zealand had been in touch with the French authorities and French Government for some time. He was not certain whether allegations of French secret service involvement in the bombing had any bearing on the inquiry decision. “Whether newspapers influenced the President’s decision, I don’t know. It was the right decision and it will be helpful for the truth,” he said.

The investigations were likely to strengthen relationships between New Zealand and France because they shared a deep concern about terrorist attacks. While they were not new to France, the attacks were very unusual to New Zealand and they threatened the safety of people and the integrity of a political system, Mr Moore said.