Frances Jospin Clashes With Chirac In Cabinet

French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, in the biggest clash yet of his enforced cohabitation with Gaullist President Jacques Chirac, firmly reminded the head of state of his rights at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

Socialist Jospin responded to a volley of criticism from Chirac, who broke an uneasy peace in power-sharing with the new government on Monday by criticising it on policies ranging from privatisation to nuclear power, Europe and immigration.

Chiracs broadside, in his first television interview since being shorn of much of his power by a left-wing victory in a parliamentary election on June 1, had prompted charges from opposition leaders that he was acting like an opposition leader rather than head of state.

 

Following the statements of the president on July 14, the prime minister recalled in cabinet the prerogatives which constitutionally are those of the President and the Prime Minister, government spokeswoman Catherine Trautmann told reporters.

(Jospin) clearly marked out the institutional and political responsibilities which these provisions give him, Trautmann said, adding that his remarks had been rather brief. She refused to say whether Chirac had responded to them.

Frances 1958 constitution hands the Prime Minister responsibility for the domestic running of the country but grants the president a pre-eminent role in foreign policy. The limits of the responsibilities of each are poorly defined.

In the traditional interview broadcast on Bastille national day, Chirac laid out a roadmap of potential conflicts with the cabinet, with the transition to the single European currency near the top of the list.

Chirac said the constitution gave him a pre-eminent role the last word on matters ranging from the transition to a

single currency and maintaining social cohesion to upholding Frances high-technology industries.

He also scotched brewing leftist plans to trim his term to five years from seven.

Though Chirac had previously endorsed the idea, Jospin had, out of courtesy for the President, said he would seek a referendum on a shorter presidential term only if Chirac gave his approval in advance. Chirac said the planned 1999 launch date and the agreed conditions for Europes planned single currency, the euro, must be respected.

It would have very serious conquences for France not to do it very, very serious we would isolate ourselves, he said in Mondays interview. He added that the government could achieve the European Unions Maastricht Treaty target of limiting its public deficit to three percent of Gross Domestic Product if it held down spending.

Socialist spokesman Francois Hollande dismissed the notion

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