Sunday September 7, 8:48 PM GMT

French minister criticises Diana car over
speeding

PARIS, Sept 7 (Reuter) - A French government minister struck a
discordant note on Sunday in tributes to Princess Diana following her
death in a high-speed Paris car crash, saying that nothing justified
breaking the speed limit.

Environment Minister Dominique Voynet, of the tiny Greens Party,
said she never met Diana and had "no real opinion about who she
really was. In a certain way the considerable emotion that her death
has provoked remains for me largely an enigma."

"I'd like to say, however, that this event needs to be put into
perspective and that in this affair nothing can excuse the fact of
driving at 200 kpm (125 mph) through the roads of Paris," she said.

Diana died a week ago with her companion Dodi Al Fayed and their
driver in a car crash by the River Seine. Police reckon the car was
going much faster than the 50 kph (30 mph) limit. A post-mortem
indicated the driver was over the drunk drive limit.

Investigators have targeted nine photographers and a motorcyclist for
a photograpic agency as suspects in a manslaughter probe for
provoking the chase and failing to help accident victims.

Voynet's Greens Party is a junior partner in the Socialist-led
government which came to power in June. The "iron lady" of the
party, Voynet has frequently caused offence by speaking her mind.