Rainbow Warrior bombing 'detestable', says Royal

Segolene Royal

French presidential hopeful Segolene Royal has said her brother's alleged role in the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour was a "detestable act".

It has been claimed Royal's brother Gerard was one of the French intelligence agents involved in the 1985 bombing in which a photographer on the Greenpeace ship died. The revelation came in an interview with another brother, Antoine, last week.

The Associated Press news agency today quoted Royal as saying: "I have a brother, who 20 years ago was a soldier, a frogman, for whom I have a lot of admiration. He was indeed involved in a detestable act. But he had received orders for that."

She added in an interview on the TF1 television channel: "Fortunately, the nuclear tests stopped. But clearly, and unfortunately, a person died."

Royal said she did not know of her brother's secret role at the time.

"The irony in this story is that I favoured Greenpeace's action against the nuclear tests," she said.

Earlier this week Royal suggested the revelations were part of a smear campaign against her.

Gerard Royal has said he has never spoken about whether he was involved in the operation or not, and he never will.

Prime Minister Helen Clark has ruled out re-opening the case, citing a decision by the Attorney-General in 1991 to rule out further charges.

Royal is a Socialist Party candidate who is performing strongly in the polls ahead of the election next year.

- NZHERALD STAFF