France today denied a report in a pan-Arab newspaper that an envoy of President Jacques Chirac has been secretly shuttling to Baghdad in a bid to persuade Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to soften his policies and avert a US strike.
"French authorities categorically deny this report from the daily Asharq al-Awsat," the French foreign ministry said in a statement.
"No French envoy tasked with such a mission to Saddam Hussein has gone to Iraq."
Asharq al-Awsat, a Saudi-owned London-based daily, reported today that an envoy of Mr Chirac has been "regularly visiting Iraq for some time" to urge Saddam soften his domestic and foreign policies and consequently avert US military action against his regime.
The paper, quoting "authorised French sources", said the general amnesty recently granted by Saddam to all prisoners was a fruit of that effort.
It identified the French troubleshooter as a senior foreign ministry official named Mr Pierre Delval, as transliterated from Arabic.
It said Mr Delval went to Baghdad the first time under a false identity as the manager of a French state-run printing house.
The website of the French National Printing House lists Mr Pierre Delval as manager of one of its subsidiaries, Saqqarah International.
AFP