French President Jacques Chirac on Wednesday said the foreign countries occupying Iraq should move toward withdrawing their forces to help bring about peace in the war-torn country.

"The problem is very difficult because the presence of American troops is both necessary and a source of worry over there. But I don't believe that one can have any prospect of re-establishing civil peace in Iraq without giving Iraqis the notion that they have sovereign power," Chirac said in an interview with the French daily Le Monde.

"I believe that, at a date that remains to be examined, the prospects for the departure of foreign forces need to be established, notably with the new Iraqi authority, which we support," he said.

"France has not been involved in this affair, so it is in no position to give lessons," he added.

He also warned that the threat of a possible civil war in Iraq was growing.

Source: Xinhua