French Prime Minister De Villepin is engulfed in scandalous allegations. Colin Randall of the New York Sun reports:

Engulfed by scandal and fighting to save his job, the French prime minister made an emotional outburst in parliament yesterday, portraying himself as the victim of a "shameful" smear campaign.

Dominique de Villepin made no attempt to conceal his anger and distress as he denied claims that he ordered an intelligence chief to investigate anonymous — and, as it transpired, false — corruption charges against his presidential rival and number two in government, Nicolas Sarkozy.

On the toughest day of his 11—month premiership Mr. de Villepin told the Paris parliament: "Enough is enough." [....]

Mr. de Villepin is under pressure over the so—called Clearstream affair, dubbed the "French Watergate," in which an anonymous whistle—blower alleged without foundation that senior political and business figures took kickbacks from the sale of French frigates to Taiwan in 1991.

Ed Lasky  5 03 06