US denies smearing France

The French are very upset at the US press reports

The White House has rejected a French complaint that Washington is orchestrating a campaign to discredit France in the US media.

"There is, I don't think, any basis" to the complaint, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "France is an ally; they're still friends."

Paris' ambassador to the United States has sent a letter to White House officials and members of Congress alleging there is an orchestrated "disinformation campaign aimed at sullying France's image and misleading the public".

Tensions between the two countries have been high since they disagreed vocally over the war on Iraq.

When the newspapers... say 'from officials' or 'intelligence sources', I have to believe that it is coming, yes, from officials or intelligences sources

French Ambassador
Jean-David Levitte

Click here for analysis of the French position

The BBC's European affairs correspondent, William Horsley, says the French were shocked by the severity of US attacks on them in the run-up to the war, and is now seeking to embarrass Washington over the media reports.

Ambassador Jean-David Levitte's letter contains a list of nine "false" stories which have appeared in the American media, including allegations that France helped Iraqi officials escape.

He told a Washington television station that he believed US Government sources were responsible.

"When the newspapers... say 'from officials' or 'intelligence sources', I have to believe that it is coming, yes, from officials or intelligences sources," he said.

'Unacceptable'

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said the controversy was "not acceptable".

"We cannot accept that unfounded criticism against France develops in this way," he said in Paris.

Mr Powell is due in France next week

The US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, denied that his department was responsible for the stories.

"Certainly there's no such campaign coming out of this building," he said, adding that he could not "speak for the rest of the government".

In recent weeks, top US officials including Secretary of State Colin Powell have said France will suffer consequences for its strong opposition to the US-led war in Iraq.

Mr Powell is due in France next week for the highest-level US visit to Paris since the Iraq war. He is in Germany on Friday, working to repair ties with Berlin strained by disputes over Iraq.

Washington announced on Thursday that it was reducing the number of people it is sending to the Paris Air Show next month.

But an unnamed US official told the Associated Press news agency that the decision was not made out of spite, saying the industry event was too important to be snubbed over politics.

'False' stories listed

The "false" stories mentioned in the French ambassador's letter reportedly include:

• Allegations that French officials in Syria had helped Iraqi leaders wanted by the US flee to Europe by giving them French passports

• Allegations that France and Germany had in 1998 supplied Iraq with switches used in detonating nuclear weapons

• A report quoting an "American intelligence source" saying that France possessed prohibited strains of the smallpox virus

• A report accusing two French companies of selling Iraq spare parts for planes and helicopters

• Several stories about sales of components for long-range missiles, radar equipment and fighter planes