Visit to dentist part of quiet first day on bail for Zaoui

Ahmed Zaoui

A visit to the dentist will be on the agenda for Ahmed Zaoui on his first full day on bail today.

The Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the Algerian asylum seeker, who had been behind bars since arriving in New Zealand two years ago, should be bailed to the Dominican Friars in Auckland.

Mr Zaoui didn't sleep much overnight, partly because of excitement at his release and partly because of toothache, Father Peter Murnane said.

Apart from a press conference this morning, Father Murnane said the plan was for Mr Zaoui to have a mostly quiet day today.

"There's nothing much except going to the dentist," he said.

"He really needs to unwind, although constant disturbances will come with people trying to contact him and little things being attended."

Mr Zaoui, who was released from Auckland Remand Prison last night, spent much of the first hours of his release talking to friends.

He also spoke to his family, who are in Malaysia, and to his father in Algeria.

Father Murnane said he came into the dining room this morning to be greeted by "a beautiful sight".

"He was sitting alone reading the paper," he said.

"What a wonderful thing to have some normality in a man's life. He can relax, look out the window and read the paper."

Father Murnane believed the court's decision was a step in reuniting different faiths.

"Justice is about restoration, not separation," he said.

"At a very early hour, there were sounds coming down the stairs.

"He was praying quietly and that was a beautiful thing to have in a Christian home -- a man from a different culture praying in his way and we praying in our way."
A former Algerian MP in an elected government that was deposed by a military coup, Mr Zaoui arrived in New Zealand on December 4, 2002, on a false passport.

He had been held in custody without charge on the grounds that he was a threat to national security.

However, in August last year, the Refugee Status Appeals Authority declared him a genuine refugee.

His security risk is being reviewed by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security.

- NZPA