Monday September 29 3:14 PM EDT 

Diana Probers Blame Speed, Drink, for Crash

By Thierry Leveque 

PARIS (Reuter) - A month into their probe of Princess Diana's fatal
car crash, French investigators say it appears that excessive speed and
alcohol were to blame rather than pursuing paparazzi. 

But they have not yet ruled out the possibility that a mysterious
second car played a role in the Aug. 31 crash by causing the
Mercedes-Benz limousine in which Diana was riding to swerve out of
control and crash into a concrete pillar. 

"In this crash, we find a combination of the two principal causes of
accidents in France: alcohol and speed," said one source close to the
investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity. 

"Certainly, there are some avenues of investigation which are still
being explored. But at this stage there is nothing unusual about this
accident," said the source. 

Chauffeur Henri Paul, who died in the Aug. 31 Paris crash along with
Diana and her companion Dodi Al Fayed, was driving "at a very high
speed" and had a criminal level of alcohol in his blood, investigators
have found. 

These findings made it unlikely that the nine photographers and one
photo agency motorcyclist formally targeted in the investigation
would be brought to trial on charges of manslaughter, in the opinion
of their lawyers. 

"The photographers were scapegoats who were made investigation
targets in an atmosphere of hysteria," said Jean-Marc Coblence, who
represents three of the 10. "The time has come for a counterattack." 

While it was too early to ask investigating magistrate Herve Stephan
to end proceedings against the 10, a French court could soon be asked
to demand the return of two press cards seized on the night of the
accident, preventing two of the accused from working at their
profession, he said. 

"I am rather optimistic. A conviction on manslaughter grounds must
have a sound basis," Coblence told Reuters. 

As for a second accusation, the alleged failure of the 10 to come to the
assistance of an accident victim, Coblence said, "This is a false
problem." 

"The charge would hold if it were proven that the accused were on the
site for 10 minutes and no one called emergency services. But it has
been established that people were informed within a minute after the
accident," he said. 

The next step in the probe is for magistrates Stephan and
Marie-Christine Devidal to stage an official re-enactment of the
crash. 

Such re-enactments are typically used by French justice authorities to
help work out unsolved aspects of a crime and resolve conflicting
testimony. 

Re-enactments are typically dull affairs but this one is likely to draw
hundreds of journalists and perhaps thousands of curiosity-seekers to
the Place de l'Alma for two nights running. 

Before the re-enactment can be staged, the magistrates want a
laboratory in suburban Paris to complete its analysis of some paint
chips and glass fragments found at the scene of the accident as well as
streaks of paint found on the Mercedes' right-front fender and
rear-view mirror. 

Investigators say the paint chips, glass fragments and streaks are likely
to have no bearing on the cause of the accident. 

But they say they cannot yet rule out the possibility they came from a
car which was side-swiped by the Mercedes as the speeding limousine
came around a curve just before entering the tunnel under the Place
de l'Alma where the crash took place. 

They say the mystery car -- possibly a Fiat Uno, judging from the
shards of glass -- might have been driving far slower than the
Mercedes or may have swerved in front of it, causing driver Paul to
lose control.