Late French President Jacques Chirac's nuclear testing stance set up historic clash with New Zealand

Late French President Jacques Chirac’s nuclear testing stance set up a historic clash with New Zealand.

Mr Chirac died aged 86 yesterday.

Coined 'Le Bulldozer' for his strong political ambition, within six weeks of taking office he outraged the world by announcing the resumption of French nuclear tests in the South Pacific.

At the time, New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger said: "The utter and total frustration of New Zealanders that the President of France should take this step, we cannot understand him why does he want to do it in our backyard?"

Angry protests erupted around the world including New Zealand.

A year later Mr Chirac put an end to French nuclear weapons testing.

Foreign leaders hailed Chirac's statesmanship, while French President Emmanuel Macron said the conservative leader so familiar to the nation "embodied a certain idea of France."

"Whether or not you shared his ideas, his combat, we all recognised ourselves in him, this man who resembled us, assembled us," Macron said in a solemn homage on national television.

"Jacques Chirac was a great Frenchman ... in love with our land, steeped in our history and in love ... with our culture," Macron said.