Sarkozy 'hijacks' Camus

President Nicolas Sarkozy suffered a fresh blow yesterday when his plan to transfer the remains of Albert Camus, buried in Lourmarin, to the Pantheon was dismissed as "political opportunism".

As the country prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Camus, author of L'Etranger, Sarkozy suggested it would be a "wonderful symbol" to lay him to rest in the Left Bank necropolis. "This is a gimmick," said Olivier Todd, a biographer of the author.

"It's part of his technique of hijacking the intellectual milieu.

" Jean Camus, the author's son, told Le Monde that he suspected Sarkozy of wanting to "hijack" his father.