'Wandering man' Zaoui speaks out in TV interview

An emotional Ahmed Zaoui holds his head in his hands as he is released on bail. Picture / Fotopress

Ahmed Zaoui says he has never been a terrorist and was forced to flee his country to save his life.

Mr Zaoui spoke publicly for the first time since being imprisoned two years ago as a "threat to national security" in a television interview filmed before he was granted bail, and aired tonight.

A Supreme Court decision today granted Algerian asylum seeker Mr Zaoui bail to live at Auckland's Dominican Priory while his security status is reviewed.

In the interview, screened on TVNZ's Close Up at 7, Mr Zaoui said he had never done a wrong thing in his life and was a victim of terrorists.

He urged the New Zealand Government to disclose any information they had on his case.

"I came to New Zealand because it has a big reputation of respecting human rights," he told interviewer Kim Hill.

It was a democratic country that took care of political refugees.

"We are all immigrants in this world, we are all refugees."

He said he did not think he would be asked to leave New Zealand, but stressed he could not return to Malaysia where he was living before flying to New Zealand.

"If I go to Malaysia they will deliver me to Algeria. They don't have a democratic process.

Mr Zaoui described himself as "a wandering man".

"I flee my country to save my life, to save my children, to be a free man. I didn't have a choice."

Mr Zaoui said any information our Government held about him was false and "a fairytale".

Mr Zaoui said his wife and four children were in hiding in South-East Asia and it was a very emotional situation.

His youngest son Youssef, six, did not know he was in prison but thought he was working in New Zealand.

Mr Zaoui said he was hurt that his son thinks he left his family willingly.

He said his wife was upset and it was a horrible situation.

"I lost all except my value, my virtue, my faith."

Mr Zaoui said France had said he was a danger because of links with Algeria as a former coloniser. Switzerland was eager to remove him because that country was under pressure from the Algerian and French governments.

The Algerian government wanted to kill him "because I am a survivor, I am a witness to a war against the people".

But he planned to go back to Algeria one day.

"I'm homesick," he said.

"I did not come to settle (in New Zealand). One day I will go back."

Mr Zaoui said he recognised concerns the Western world had after September 11 but said he was a "moderate Muslim", not an extremist.

One of the reasons he came to New Zealand was because it valued freedom -- it was multi-cultural, multi-religion and multi-racial, he said.

Mr Zaoui said sometime in jail he felt withdrawn and isolated but was optimistic by nature.

"I try to nurture myself through this ordeal."

Mr Zaoui said the food he was most looking forward to after getting out of prison was olives, which were blessed in the Islamic, Christian and Jewish religions.

"I like olives."

- NZPA