Warrior bombing politely ignored

One topic was firmly off the list for polite conversation and official speeches at the Bastille Day celebrations in Wellington yesterday: the Rainbow Warrior.

In the same week as the 20th anniversary of the Greenpeace ship's bombing was commemorated, the absence of any reference to it in French Ambassador Jean-Michel Marlaud's speech was conspicuous.

Instead, the speeches celebrating the French national day focused on the increasingly solid and productive relationship, and the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

But 20 years ago, that relationship was severely strained by the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior.

At the weekend, a previously secret report revealed what many had suspected - that France's late president Francois Mitterrand authorised sabotage of the Greenpeace ship.

Mr Marlaud told the Herald he did not think the confirmation that Mr Mitterrand personally agreed to the "neutralisation" of the Rainbow Warrior would affect relations between the two countries today.

"It was 20 years ago and in that time a lot of other things have happened, so we are now in another chapter in our relationship."

Mr Marlaud said New Zealand and France shared common values on many issues such as the Kyoto Protocol, whaling and the role of the United Nations.

"It doesn't mean we always agree on every detail, but it means that our basic views on what international society should be are more or less the same. Also, we have much closer contact than we used to in the past."

When asked if France would ever formally apologise to Greenpeace, Mr Marlaud said as ambassador it was not his decision to make.