Paris  - French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterand late Thursday denied accusations of paedophilia stemming from a book he wrote in 2005.

"I condemn sex tourism. And I condemn paedophilia, which I never committed," an angry Mitterand said during an interview on TF1 television.

The television appearance was quickly scheduled after a controversy escalated over his book La Mauvaise Vie (The Bad Life), in which he described traveling to Thailand to have paid sex with young men in brothels.

Mitterand admitted having had sexual relations with "boys" in south-east Asia, but denied that they were minors. "One must not confound paedophilia with homosexuality," he said.

He also said that he had not offered to resign and that he had met Thursday with President Nicolas Sarkozy, who expressed his confidence in him.

The affair began earlier in the week when the daughter of right-wing extremist Jean-Marie Le Pen read excerpts from the book on a television talk show devoted to the recent arrest in Switzerland of director Roman Polanski on a 32-year-old conviction for having sex with a 13-year-old girl.

Mitterand was one of Polanski's earliest and most vocal supporters. However, Marine Le Pen said Mitterand himself was a paedophile, basing the accusation on several excerpts from the book.

Among the passages she read was the following: "The profusion of very attractive and immediately available young boys puts me in a state of desire that I no longer have a need to brake or dim."

The weekly Le Point published additional extracts from the book on its web site on Thursday, such as: "I can evaluate, imagine, tell myself stories regarding each boy; they are there for that, and I am too. I can finally choose. I have what I have never had, I have a choice."

Mitterand said that the book was neither a work of fiction nor completely autobiographical.

President Nicolas Sarkozy had read La Mauvaise Vie before naming Mitterand as his culture minister, and had told the weekly Le Nouvel Observateur that the book was "courageous and talented."

Asked if he had committed an error, the nephew of former president Francois Mitterand said, "Probably. A crime? No."

Earlier Thursday, a French police union said it would ask the Paris public prosecutor to open an investigation of Mitterand on charges of soliciting a minor.

"We feel it is our duty to protect society against sexual predators, even if they are ministers," the France Police trade union said in a statement.

France Police also said that "Mitterand's confession in his book amply suffices to justify the opening of a preliminary investigation."

Nothing in any of the excerpts cited suggests that Mitterand had sex with minors. However, the growing controversy, and the appearance that he was defending sex tourism, has mobilized the opposition and embarrassed the government.

Labour Minister Xavier Darcos told France Inter radio Thursday that Mitterand must respond to the accusations "other than with indignation."

Socialist Benoit Hamon told Canal Plus television, "The question now is if Frederic Mitterand should resign or not."

Mitterand had also come under broad fire for his very early support of Polanski.

He said Thursday that his initial reaction in the director's defence had been "perhaps too emotional."  dpa