French politicians from left and right on Thursday demanded that Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand answer allegations that a memoir he wrote endorses sex tourism.

Mitterrand's 2005 book "The Bad Life" recounts how he paid for sex with "young boys" in Thailand and Indonesia, and caused no scandal after it was released, when the author was not yet a member of government.

This week, after Mitterrand courted controversy by defending fugitive filmmaker Roman Polanski, political opponents headed back to the book and accused him of supporting the exploitation of young Asian sex workers.

Mitterrand won the backing of President Nicolas Sarkozy's chief of staff, but politicians from right and left, including members of Sarkozy's rightwing ruling party, have demanded he step down or at least explain himself.

The minister has so far refused to address the charges, dismissing them as having been inspired by a far-right smear campaign, but was to appear on France's main evening newscast on Thursday night.

When the book, described by its publisher as a "novel inspired by autobiography", was released, Mitterrand confirmed he had paid for sex in Asian brothels, but rejected rumours of paedophilia.

"It's not true," he said in an 6 April 2005, television interview.

"When people say 'boys', we imagine little boys. That's part of this general puritanism that invades us and wants to blacken things. It's not like that. Obviously, I leave myself open to this kind of risk when I speak of 'boys'."

As a writer his explanation was broadly accepted and the book was praised for its shocking honesty and literary quality. Now, as a minister in a government that has prosecuted sex tourists, his position is more difficult.

Mitterrand's cabinet colleague Labour Minister Xavier Darcos called on him to respond to his critics with "something other than simple indignation".

"There are no judges after him, no-one has made a legal complaint against Frederic Mitterrand, what is being questioned is his personal behaviour, his moral behaviour, it's for him to respond on that," Darcos told France Inter radio.

Sarkozy appointed Mitterrand this year, delighted to recruit the nephew of late Socialist president Francois Mitterrand to his right wing government.

Sarkozy's closest advisor, Elysee chief of staff Henri Guiano, defended the minister, insisting that there were "no facts" that needed explanation.

"All this is excessive. At base it's all undignified," he told France 2 television, adding that he saw no reason why the minister should step down.

"I don't see the problem. I don't see why, when we stir us such a pathetic polemic so long after the events, we should come to such a radical conclusion."

Many Sarkozy's opponents have, however, gone on the attack.

The issue was first raised in public by Marine Le Pen, leader of the far right National Front, who described Mitterrand's past as "an indelible stain" on the government. Leading Socialist Party figures have piled in.

"It appears impossible for the prime minister and the president to keep him in the government, now that they know about his defence of and confession to reprehensible sexual practices," Socialist lawmaker Arnaud de Montebourg said.

"It's got nothing to do wth his sex life or his private life. It's a defence of sexual exploitation, or sex tourism," said another, Manuel Valls.

Mitterrand was due to appear on TF1's evening news programme from 8.00pm (1800 GMT).

AFP

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