Interview of ex-President Rene by the "Indian Ocean Newsletter" in 1986
WE PUBLISH BELOW AN EXCLUSlVE INTERVIEW WHICH FORMER PRESIDENT FRANCE ALBERT RENE GAVE TO THE FRENCH SPECIALIST NEWSPAPER THE ‘
"The opposition’s activities do not worry us. But, sometimes, we are worried by the activities of the people who back the opposition."
During the working visit which he recently made to France, President France ALbert Rene gave an exclusive interview on August 28 to THE
THE INDIAN OCEAN NEWSLETTER: During a major advertising campaign that appeared in the magazine Le Nouvel Observateur early this year, the French public was presented with the Seychelles--generally viewed as a socialist country as “one of the most attractive tax havens in the world.” How do you reconcile the socialism that you practice on the home front with the large tax benefits which you offer to foreign capitalists?
I.O.N.: Can you comment on the success of the
F.A.R.: It did not work, to start with. It was an idea put forward by an Italian businessman based in the
I.O.N.: But is it morally justifiable for a country which claims to be socialist to allow itself to be used as a tax haven by big international capitalists?
F.A.R.: We do not see that there is any moral dilemma. It is simply the reality of the world today. The capitalist system is immoral, and we live within this system. There are people working in the
I.O.N.: Does the scheme provide much money for the state?
F.A.R.: No, it brings in very little --almost nothing.
I.O.N.: You recently renewed your agreement with the
F.A.R: We have never been satisfied... We still want to have more. But we had a good increase, compared with the nineteen seventies. We now get 2.5 million dollars -- not twelve million dollars, as a newspaper reported. The lease, technically, was not renewed, it was extended until 1990, with changes to a number of conditions.
I.O.N.: It has been reported that this satellite tracking station is now a part of the American Strategic Defence Initiative, or “Star Wars” programme.
F.A.R.: That would not surprise me. But we are not aware of it. What we were told, and what we are able to confirm, is that it is a communications base. But the use to which it is being put is a
I.O.N.: We have the impression that you have been adopting a more textured stance on foreign policy in recent years. For instance, you no longer make any great “anti-imperialist” statements.
F.A.R.: We have realised that in this world, no one acknowledges that you can be a non-aligned country, least of all the media, which is perpetually asking us whether we are on one side or the other. So we have learnt to keep silent, in certain circumstances, in order to avoid these interpretations. But that does not mean that we have changed.
I.O.N.: On the political front, do you see developments in the
F.A.R.: If you don’t progress, you die. As far as the party is concerned, to start with, the chairmen of the local branches were elected. We then noticed that the persons who were not up to the task, had been elected because they had been around for a long time. We wanted to break with that, so that new officials would impart a new impulse to the party. So we decided to appoint them for several years at a time. That is what we did. We have now reached the point where we have to return to democracy. The people can choose once more, as of this year, or next year.
I.O.N.: This is being done on the basis of the
F.A.R.: We have made a choice. It will not be reviewed, at this point. As far as I am concerned, the ideal thing in a small country like the
I.O.N.: Are you worried by the activities of the opposition?
F.A.R.: The opposition’s activities do not worry us. But, sometimes, we are worried by the activities of the people who back the opposition. When you see what foreign Report wrote two weeks ago on the
I.O.N.- You have still not explained some of the political developments in the
F.A.R.:- I shall give the reason for this resignation. It is a very simple story. Maxime Ferrari and Jacques Hodoul were both members of the government. They were better friends among themselves than I was with either of them. At one point, however, this was no longer the case, and for a very personal reason. Jacques Hodoul became engaged to Maxime’s daughter. The two men broke off their friendship. A number of people used this to fabricate a split in which “Jacques Hodoul was a Marxist and Maxime Ferrari was pro-Western.” This is what the British did, the Americans, the Russians, everyone. The problem arose when Maxime Ferrari was no longer Minister of National Development. There had been an internal reshuffle. It was to do with a Food and Agriculture Organisation conference which was to be chaired by the
I.O.N.- But it is a political loss for you.
F.A.R.- It is a political loss. But it is not as dramatic as people have been making out.
I.O.N:- The press--including THE INDIAN OCEAN NEWSLETTER --has printed a lot in recent months about this Italian businessman, Mario Ricci. On several occasions, he has been portrayed as the government’s “eminence grise.”
F.A.R.- You know, Mario Ricci was in the
I.O.N.:- But there is still a question that is on everyone’s lips. Why is he ambassador of a fake Order of Malta in the
F.A.R.:- It is a question that you perhaps should put to Maxime Ferrari, as he was the Foreign Minister when Mario Ricci was accredited as ambassador. He was the one who advised me. For me, it was the genuine Order of Malta. Frankly, I was not aware that there were two or three different Orders of Malta. When Mario Ricci became ambassador, what could we do? He was the biggest investor in the
I.O.N.:- But Mario Ricci is not just a businessman in the
F.A.R.:-That’s true.
I.O.N.- So Mario Ricci has a political role?
F.A.R.:- He himself will tell you: “My business is in the
I.O.N.:- In your opinion, it is proper that a private individual, a foreigner, perform secret police work?
F.A.R.:- He is not the one who does it. But he puts us in contact with people who can do it.
I.O.N.:- Is it correct that the British private detective, Ian Withers, has take refuge in the
F.A.R.:-I asked Ian Withers why he did not go to
I.O.N.:- But why doesn’t he answer police summons if he was not involved in the killing of Gerard Hoareau?
F.A.R.- I personally know that he was not involved. He was responsible for telephone bugging, that is true, and they know this in
I.O.N.-It’s a reprehensible act...
F.A.R.- We asked
I.O.N.- All the same, it is troubling to note that Gerard Hoareau was killed in
F.A.R.- Yes, it is troubling. But there is no link. If we had wanted to assassinate Gerard Hoareau, don’t you think that we would have removed the bug before doing so? The two people who were caught by the police were arrested when they went to his home to remove the bugs two days after his death. I myself have listened to the last cassette that was recorded, including the telephone call from the owner of Gerard Hoareau’s home, when he phone the police to say that gunshot had just been fired. What I can tell you is that recording Gerard Hoareau’s telephone calls would not have been enough to monitor his moves and so help in preparing for an assassination.
I.O.N.- Do you know who killed Gerard Hoareau?
F.A.R.- You know, Gerard Hoareau had contacts with loads of people, with mercenaries to whom he owed money. He embezzled funds. It’s difficult to know for sure. In any case, it was a professional who carried out the killing. I am absolutely sure that it was not Ian Withers. He was paid only to monitor telephone conversations.
I.O.N.- You have also monitored conversations in
F.A.R.- I first wrote to President Mitterrand to alert him to the activities of the opposition in