PARIS, Feb 11: In a BVA opinion poll published in Tuesday’s issue of the Le Figaro national daily newspaper, 73 per cent of the French say that France should make use of its veto if ever the United States introduces a resolution before the UN Security Council proposing an attack on Iraq.

It’s a result that an official of BVA characterised as “surprising,” for it demonstrates, he says, “how much the French are today partisans of a strong opposition to the United States with regard to Iraq, indeed would support an even stronger response than presently expressed by French diplomats.”

Only 17 per cent of the French respondents say that France should not use its veto, while ten per cent claim they have no opinion. The support for a French veto cuts across political party lines, moreover, with greater support — 82 per cent — coming from the French left, than from the Right, although 69 per cent of rightwing sympathizers say they’re for France exercising its veto too.

The results — which surprised many political analysts who are closely following French public opinion on Iraq — should help reinforce President Chirac’s determination to fight off attempts by the United States to pressure France into accepting a US-led attack on Iraq.

Another result of the poll that should further reinforce Mr Chirac in his resistance to US pressure — which also has taken the form in recent days of leaked press reports according to which French companies would not share in postwar reconstruction if France chooses to not drop its opposition to a US attack against Saddam Hussein — shows that close to one-half of the French (47 per cent) say their good opinion of Mr Chirac would be “degraded” if ever the French head of state changes his position on Iraq.

A French decision to go along with a US attack would, furthermore, endanger Mr Chirac’s popularity with a greater number of Leftwing respondents (59 per cent) than those claiming to be of the political Right (38 per cent).

In commenting upon the results, Gael Sliman, an official of BVA, noted, “It’s more than likely that a change in the French position would have very negative repercussions on the popularity of Jacques Chirac.” Indeed, he adds, “in looking at these results,” which he says greatly surprised him, “one has the feeling that Jacques Chirac and French diplomacy have gone so far in their opposition to the United States that it would now be very difficult for France to change its stance.”