French Politician Vows To Sue TotalFina Over Erika Mishap

Philippe de Villiers, deputy head of France's RPF dissident Gaullist party, has vowed to sue oil company TotalFina for polluting the French coastline after its chartered tanker Erika sank and split apart.

De Villiers, who is also president of the council of one of the areas affected by the spill, argues that the state should sue TotalFina, and said he believes the oil giant is "responsible morally and without a doubt legally" for the pollution. He said a part of the profits from the oil company, formed from the merger of TotalFina and Elf Acquitaine, should be seized.