A FRENCH person should become the first head of the European Central Bank, a Bank of France council member, Mr Paul Marchelli, has suggested. "I would remind that when Europe decided to put the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, there was an unspoken commitment on the part of the Germans that the first head would be French," he said in an interview.

The comments add to evidence that France may be determined to get its own candidate to run the future central bank after Europe initiates its single currency in January 1999.

President Jacques Chirac said in December that France would not necessarily accept Dutch central bank head Mr Wim Duisenberg, tipped as the favourite for the job.