In France, It May Be Lights Out for Chirac and Villepin
Potential smoking gun in Clearstream affair uncovered
PARIS, May 11, 2006 (AFP) - President Jacques Chirac was further drawn into a dirty tricks scandal rocking the French government Thursday, with the publication of leaked evidence showing he knew of a secret enquiry into his political rival Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.
Le Monde newspaper printed excerpts of hand-written notes kept by spy-master Philippe Rondot, which it said “demolish” denials by Chirac and his ally Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin that they ordered an investigation into Sarkozy’s alleged secret bank accounts.
Chirac on Wednesday denounced the “dictatorship of rumour” surrounding the so-called Clearstream affair, which has plunged his centre-right government into torment over claims of an internecine smear campaign.
But Villepin’s political future remains on a knife-edge after he was accused of lying before parliament over the affair and the Socialist opposition stepped up calls for his resignation.
According to Le Monde’s leaks, Chirac was directly involved in ordering Rondot to look into the allegations against Sarkozy in January 2004, and both he and Villepin were aware of the political dangers if Rondot’s enquiry was made public.
“Protect the president,” and “Risk: that the PR (president) be damaged” were written several times in Rondot’s notes, Le Monde reported. And in July 2004, the spy-chief quoted Villepin as saying: “If we appear, the president and me, we’re done for.”
As noted previously, few tears will be shed here if that is the case.
