Vertrek Chirac kenmerkt einde van tijdperk (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - French president Jacques Chirac has confirmed he will not stand as a candidate in France's upcoming presidential elections, announcing the end of a 12-year rule which saw Mr Chirac resist US hegemony, defend French farmers and lose a referendum on the EU constitution.

In a televised speech to the nation on Sunday evening, the veteran politician told the French that "When the mandate you gave me comes to an end, time will have come for me to serve you in another way.''

"France, my dear compatriots, I love her passionately," Mr Chirac declared while highlighting his achievements in fighting crime and employment and making sure that "La France asserts its place in the world."

"France is not a country like others. It has particular responsibilities, the legacy of its history and the universal values it helped create," he said.

But Mr Chirac also used the address to warn against "extremism," amid attempts by far-right politician Jean Marie Le Pen to win as good a result in this year's presidential elections - with two rounds in April and May - as in 2002 when Mr Le Pen made it to the second round.

The outgoing president did not offer his support to either one of the presidential candidates, including the frontrunner of his own centre-right party Nicolas Sarkozy.

He did however give a "message" to the French on European integration, talking before the background of a big French flag and a smaller EU flag on the side.

"During the referendum, you have expressed your doubts, your concerns, your expectations," he said referring to the landmark 2005 popular poll which saw French voters reject the EU constitution despite Mr Chirac campaigning for a "yes" vote.

"It is vital to pursue the European construction. The nationalisms which have done so much damage can re-appear at any time," he said, adding that France should continue in future to push for a "political" Europe which "safeguards our social model."

Mr Chirac leaves a mixed legacy on the EU political stage, with fellow heads of state and government finding the French president a high-profile fighter at summits.

He was known in particular as a staunch defender of French farmers securing a 1999 deal on the EU's common agricultural policy which left most of the policy's basics intact - to the dismay of UK politicians but earning gratitude from some other member states dependent on EU farm handouts.

After Mr Chirac attended his last summit meeting with EU leaders on Thursday and Friday (8-9 March), Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern said "In the 1999 Berlin negotiations, president Chirac held out to the very last moment. Irish farmers should be happy about that."

Mr Chirac also saw some success in resisting what he saw as the European Commission's neo-liberalism, substantially watering down Brussels' initiatives to free up the EU's services and energy markets.

The French president however alienated himself from the EU's new member states already before they entered the bloc in 2004, telling countries such as Poland and the Czech republic to "shut up" after they publicly supported the US invasion of Iraq without consulting EU partners.

At this last post-summit press briefing on Friday, he referred to the matter as an "incident" but admitted that he had "perhaps" reacted in an "excessive" way.

But the failed referendum on the EU constitution in May 2005 is seen as Mr Chirac's biggest European policy defeat, sparking a severe crisis in the EU after Dutch voters followed the example of the French a few days later and also voted "no."

"We failed on the referendum. To tell you the truth, I was a bit surprised. At the end, it shows that demagogy had its advantages," he said accusing the "no" campaign of "misleading" the French by making them believe the poll was a good opportunity to vote against the government while a Plan B for an EU treaty was at hand.

"I regret that, perhaps I have not done all that was necessary to avoid what has been a bad thing for Europe and for France."