Laurent Fabius of France, has been a serious headache for Islamic Republic of Iran for his staunch support of Arab-Israeli axis of sabotage in Iran-5+1 nuclear negotiations during past two years; Iranians however knew him for the first time during 1980s when in 1985 the scandal hit the politician, then prime minister, since at least 1800 Iranian patients receiving blood supply containing HIV virus suffered the pernicious disease thanks to French government’s sheer mismanagement of the case under Fabius’ premiership.
The second scandal despoiling Fabius’ terms in prime minister’s office was in July 1985 when sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, codenamed Opération Satanique was actually led by the government of the time, during which two operatives sank the flagship of the Greenpeace fleet, the Rainbow Warrior in the port of Auckland, New Zealand on its way to a protest against a planned French nuclear test in Moruroa. Fabius had first denied any engagement of his government in the operation; however, after the independent fact-finding commission report, he accepted the responsibility for the sinking and had his defense minister resign.
The HIV-containing blood supplies scandal, which took many victims, affected countries including West Germany, Italy, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and especially Iran. The blood factor is used to treat patients with hemophilia to help with blood clotting. Patients receiving this blood suffered from HIV and hepatitis; following the scandal, French president François Mitterrand had his cabinet members to accept the responsibility. Fabius, though prime minister, forfeited his political immunity from criminal prosecution and was tried in court for charges of manslaughter and criminal negligence in a scandal over HIV-tainted blood. The court charges raised against Fabius and two of his cabinet ministers had delayed testing of blood for the AIDS virus to give a French-designed test a chance to compete commercially with an American-made one that was available months earlier.
The court however acquitted Fabius for lack of compelling evidence, but the opposition party still sees the scandal as a dark patch in Fabius’ political career.
Iranian vicitims of the blood supply tainted with HIV virus are said to be exceed 300 people. Iran’s Health Ministry report shows that at least 125 patients, mainly heamophiliacs, hepatitis and kidney disease patients transfused with French blood supply had died. Iran was importing French blood supply in 1980s.
Now, with a history of infamy, Laurent Fabius will arrive in Tehran; a visit which definitely seeks to bolster French presence in a competitive market of Iran where its traditional rivals have already gained strong footholds.