Death of former Gaullist premier Chaban

The former French Gaullist prime minister, Mr Jacques Chaban-Delmas, died in Paris of a heart attack on Friday night at the age of 85.

Mr Chaban joined the French Resistance in 1940, soon after hearing one of Gen Charles de Gaulle's radio broadcasts from London. He remained devoted to de Gaulle throughout his life, saying he "loved him like a father". The two men did not meet until the liberation of Paris in 1944, by which time Mr Chaban, then 29, was the youngest general in France.

As prime minister under President Georges Pompidou from 1969 until 1972, Mr Chaban struggled to create a "new society", which he defined as a "consumer society but with more soul". Although they were from different parties, the socialist politician Jacques Delors worked enthusiastically with Mr Chaban, whom he described as "a great leader of men . . . who wanted to make French society more generous".

Mr Chaban's friendships often crossed political lines. The late President Francois Mitterrand introduced Mr Chaban to his third wife, Micheline. When Mitterrand's second World War record was questioned in 1984, Mr Chaban defended him.

President Jacques Chirac called Mr Chaban "a great Gaullist, a great Resistance leader, a great servant of the nation and one of the builders of modern France". The Prime Minister, Mr Lionel Jospin, praised him as "a great Frenchman who showed a passion for his country throughout his life".

Mr Chaban made a failed bid for the presidency in 1974. His longevity as Mayor of Bordeaux - 50 years - earned him the nickname "Duke of Aquitaine". His successor as mayor, Mr Alain Juppe, has announced that Bordeaux's Merignac Airport will be renamed Jacques Chaban-Delmas Airport in memory of "the love story between this city and this man, which lasted for half a century".