France's Chirac wants to send envoy to Iran

PARIS, Jan 16 (Reuters) French President Jacques Chirac is considering sending a senior envoy to Iran to discuss stability in the West Asia, officials said today.

The idea comes at a time of tension between Iran and the United States over Tehran's role in Iraq and follows the UN Security Council's imposition of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme.

An official close to Chirac's office said France was still weighing up such a visit, which would require an evaluation of objectives and consultation with its partners.

''There is a reflection under way, no firm decision has been taken because there would have to be a tangible prospect of what might be obtained from such a visit,'' the official, who declined to be named, told Reuters.

''We're not acting unilaterally and we are consulting with our partners,'' he said but added that the idea came from France.

Chirac, nearing the end of his term as president, is one of the strongest Western supporters of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, whose government is locked in confrontation with the opposition, led by the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.

Chirac has organised a conference in Paris later this month to coordinate international aid and reconstruction for Lebanon after last year's conflict with Israel.

The newspaper Le Monde said Chirac had originally intended to send Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy this month in the hope this would signal a willingness to keep open an avenue for dialogue with Iran despite the U.N. sanctions.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Matthei said no decision had been taken on a Douste-Blazy visit but any move would be agreed ''in consultation with our partners.'' ''We expect Iran to contribute to the stability of the region, and we consider that it could be useful to have a dialogue with this country on these issues (of regional stability),'' he told reporters at a regular briefing.

''In any event, such a dialogue with Iran would be to reaffirm our position on regional issues,'' he said, adding that France fully supported the international sanctions on Iran.

Officials said the purpose of a visit would be to discuss regional stability, including the situation in Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories and not to hold a separate discussion of the nuclear dossier.

Tehran denies US accusations that it has supported the insurgency in Iraq and blames US troops for fuelling tensions between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim groups.

Western nations accuse Iran of trying to develop technology that could be used for nuclear weapons, a charge rejected by Tehran, which says its programme is for civilian use.

Reuters AB DB2257