One of the oddest sights of the hearings was that of Daniel Cohn-Bendit, in 1968 a student rebel, now the leader of France's EuropeanGreens, casually dressed in an open-necked shirt and thumping his desk in approval when Mr Patten, besuited ex-chairman of the British Conservative Party, declared himself a crusader for human rights.
European Parliament Green member Didier Rod said the Greens may prepare a resolution in the European parliament asking France to move to protect the reefs.