Mafart and Prieur reach Hao at start of three-year stay

Press, 24 July 1986, Page 1

Mafart and Prieur reach Hao at start of three-year stay

By

PATRICIA HERBERT

in Wellington The two deported French agents, Major Alain Mafart and Captain Dominique Prieur, are now at Hao military base where they are required to remain three years for their part in the Rainbow Warrior bombing. Confirmation of their arrival at the tiny atoll in French Polynesia was received by the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, late yesterday afternoon. For Major Mafart and Captain Prieur it was the end of a long journey, begun in the early hours of yesterday morning. For France and New Zealand, Mr Lange hopes it signals a return to normal relations. At a press conference yesterday, he confirmed that Mafart and Prieur had left New Zealand at 3.30 a.m. from Whenuapai in an R.N.Z.A.F. Orion, to be transferred to French keeping on Wallis Island

about five hours later. From there they were taken by the French authorities to Hao. Mr Lange said that the timing of the deportation had nothing to do with “the cover of darkness” and everything to do with the international dateline. France’s part of the deal — the payment of SUS 7 million (about $l3 million) compensation and the tendering of an apology — had to be done in northern hemisphere time frames and done while Mafart and Prieur were still in transit and still in New Zealand custody, he said. This was because France had required that first Mafart and Prieur must be off New Zealand soil and because New Zealand had wanted to be in a position to turn the flight round and bring the agents back had France reneged. Mr Lange said the SUS 7 million damages had been transferred to a bank ac-

count in Washington just after 4 a.m. New Zealand time, and that it represented about $l3 million in New Zealand currency. He said the apology had been offered in Paris at 4 a.m. New Zealand time. In translation, it says: “Mr Prime Minister, the French Minister of External Relations informed you on September 22, 1985, that as a result of new , investigations ordered by the French Government it has become apparent that the attack on the Rainbow Warrior was carried out by French service agents. “My predecessor made it clear on the same date that he was deeply distressed at the consequences that this affair had for relations between the two countries. “I wish to convey to you today the apology of the Government ‘ of the French Republic for the events which took place in Auckland on July 10, 1985.

“I beg you, Mr Prime Minister, to accept the assurances of my high consideration.” It was signed by the French Prime Minister, Mr Jacques Chirac. Of the damages payment made by France, Mr Lange said some would be used to replenish the Consolidated Account for the drain caused by the police investigation into the sabotage and the court hearings. The balance would be used to “promote some Pacific purposes ... perhaps help some of the - smaller island countries in the region.” Yesterday’s elaborately planned transfer arrangements might have been frustrated except for the intervention of the Solici-tor-General, Mr Paul Neazor, Q.C. He ordered a stay of proceedings, making null and void charges brought against both Mafart and Prieur by Mr Colin Amery, a self-styled psychic.

Mr Lange yesterday attacked Mr Amery’s move, dismissing his private prosecution attempt as “a media stunt.” He said Mr Neazor had signed the order in London, where he is on Privy Council business, and that it had been facsimiled to New Zealand to be delivered to the District Court at Auckland within minutes of its rising. He described Mr Neazor’s timing as “calculated and astute,” saying had Mr Amery been given the opportunity he would have laid fresh charges. Mr Lange denied, however, that Mr Neazor had been acting under instruction from the Government. He said instead that Mr Neazor had “acted off his own bat” out of a duty to protect the legal system from abuse. “If ordinary New Zealanders are subject to constant increasing litigation taking up every incident of a piece of criminal behaviour, and

fastening on that after the major charge has been disposed of, we would have a new growth industry in New Zealand of charging people with things,” Mr Lange said. He said he hoped now to normalise New Zealand’s relationship with France, although there would still be disputes over the Mururoa nuclear-testing programme and over the issue of New Caledonian independence. Asked what lessons New Zealand had learned from the Rainbow Warrior affair, Mr Lange said it had learned the impotence of small countries when in conflict with large Powers and without access to an established forum for arbitration. Counting the settlement as a “win,” Mr Lange said New Zealand had had to engage in “a fairly marathon public relations exercise" before getting the concessions it had.