PARIS, Oct 19: France has decided to make greater use of telephone diplomacy, French foreign ministry spokesman said at a recent press briefing here.

The new tendency was noticed earlier this year when former foreign minister Hubert Vedrine chose to make use of telephone to attempt to play a role in defusing tension between Pakistan and India.

Talking to a journalist, who insisted on knowing whether Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin would be meeting with US Secretary of State Colin Powell in order to evolve a consensus on the question of Iraq, spokesman Francois Rivasseau said France would be engaging in greater use of telephone largely at the plea of Mr Powell who, during a recent meeting in Iceland, had remarked: “Face-to-face meetings are good. But if we want to do serious business, the telephone is much more rapid.”

Mr Rivasseau noted that “presently, we at the Quai d’Orsay, are working very much by telephone.”

At a daily press briefing on Friday, a journalist asked him why the French foreign ministry had said that it simply “deplored” attacks against Palestinians by the Israeli army, whereas it systematically said it “firmly condemned” attacks by Palestinians against Israelis.

“It’s the second time,” said the journalist, “that you use the word deplore when there are Palestinian civilian victims. But, when recently there was an attack in Tel Aviv, you said you... firmly condemned the Palestinian attack on Israeli civilians. But for the Palestinians, it’s simply: deplore. Wouldn’t it be appropriate to also firmly condemn Thursday’s attack at Rafah which killed eight Palestinian?”