AFP - The head of French diplomacy, Michele Alliot-Marie, was used in 2010 in Tunisia in a private jet Tunisian businessman, presented by the weekly Le Canard Enchaine as a member "of the clan Ben Ali" what was denied on Tuesday the cabinet of the Minister.
The newspaper reveals that the minister used between Christmas and New Year's Day this aircraft to connect to the city of Tunis Tabarka, with her husband Patrick Ollier, Minister for Relations with Parliament, and members of their families.
Tunisian revolt began some two weeks ago, after self-immolation of a young Tunisian, December 17 in Sidi Bouzid, in the center of the country.
Michèle Alliot-Marie was sharply criticized in France since 11 January for having underestimated the Revolution of jasmine and have proposed to the National Assembly security cooperation regime in the Ben Ali.
The private plane and the destination hotel Michèle Alliot-Marie owned Aziz Miled, longtime friend of the Minister and presented by Le Canard Enchaine as close Belhassen Trabelsi, brother of former President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.
"It is true that Michele Alliot-Marie, after taking a commercial flight from Paris to Tunis, then took a private plane to Tabarka," he told AFP his cabinet."It was at the invitation of Aziz Miled, a friend for several years, which is the owner of an airline called Nouvelair. Miled Aziz was on the plane and took them with her parents and her husband" sources said the same source.
"But Aziz Miled is not a clan member Ben Ali," said the minister's office. "He was caught by a family member Trabelsi 20% of its shares in the airline and the presidency of this society," we sure of the source. Family Trabelsi is the wife of the former president.
"Mr.Miled is even less a friend of Ben Ali as the new Tunisian authorities, after the latter's departure and his family, he gave back all its shares so that the chair of Nouvelair, "argued the firm the minister. "In any case, it was a clan for Ben Ali", it was stressed from the same source.
However Aziz Miled is part of the list of which Switzerland has frozen the assets on January 19 after the fall of Ben Ali. He is featured on this list, published by the Swiss government as a partner Belhassen Trabelsi.
Sunday, in an interview with Paris, Michèle Alliot-Marie had admitted being on vacation in 2010 in Tunisia. "Like millions of French, I'm going to Tunisia.That's all, "she had said.
She added he had not thought about resigning after his controversial remarks on police assistance that France could make to Tunisia, saying had "learned to have thick leather" faced with controversy.
Last week, Segolene Royal, Socialist former candidate for president in 2007, was deemed "hateful" about the minister before the deputies and found that having "very personal ties with Tunisia" made "blind".
The Chained Duck also states that it sought in vain to who had paid the hotel bill of Tabarka stayed where the minister and his family."It was settled by Ms. Alliot-Marie and her family," assured the minister's entourage without elaborating.
