Chirac says "there's life after politics"

PARIS, Feb 8 (Reuters) French President Jacques Chirac has told a television show ''there is life after politics'', but his office said today this was no indication as to whether he would run again in this year's presidential election.

The 74-year-old, who has been president since 1995, is widely expected not to run in the April-May election, but has so far made no announcement on his decision.

''I'm not someone who worships the past,'' Chirac told France 2 television in an interview, the daily Le Parisien said. His comments, part of a report on his wife Bernadette, are due to be broadcast on Sunday.

''I have always tried to act for the French. If I no longer have responsibilities of this nature, well, I will try to serve France in another way,'' the daily quoted Chirac as saying. ''There is without doubt a life after politics. Until death.'' Chirac's office said the comments had been ''timeless''.

''The president's response does not provide any information about the decision, which -- as he has always said -- he will take when the time has come,'' a Chirac spokeswoman said.

Opinion polls show Nicolas Sarkozy, Chirac's conservative interior minister, in a tight race for the presidency against Socialist Segolene Royal. A large majority of the French do not want Chirac to run again, separate polls show.

Speculation about Chirac's health has mounted since he was secretly admitted to hospital in September 2005 for a blood vessel problem that affected his vision and caused headaches.

He sparked a stir last week when he backtracked after saying it would not be dangerous for Iran to have a nuclear bomb, a sudden departure from the position France has long held with its allies.

Chirac made those comments to two US newspapers and a French magazine but called the reporters back for another interview the next day, saying he thought he was speaking off the record. The papers said that in the first meeting Chirac had appeared distracted at times and struggled to remember dates and names.

REUTERS SSC PM1846