Chirac recalls Clemenceau

French President Jacques Chirac today ordered the decommissioned aircraft carrier Clemenceau, laden with toxic material, to return to France, after the country's top administrative court suspended its transfer to India for disposal.

Chirac's decision was a victory for environmentalists who had assailed the order to send the asbestos-laden vessel to India where it was to be broken down.

The fate of the Clemenceau, once a symbol of French naval prowess, has embarrassed the country's government ahead of Chirac's five-day trip to Thailand and India beginning Thursday.