Question: M Chirac is asked whether he is more optimistic now that the polls are suggesting a 'yes' vote.

Chirac: You know, opinion polls have their strengths and their weaknesses, so I shan't make any comment on the polls. On the other hand, they show something which, in my eyes, is much more important, which is that the dialogue, the debate, is beginning to become wider and deeper in France.

The number of French men and women who are clearly interested in this Constitution, this project for the future, is definitely growing. And this interest is leading them, in particular, into getting to know the details that make it up. That's what is important because it's a sign of an adult democracy. The referendum is an essential question for the future of our country, but it's also a question that the French themselves have taken upon themselves, and that is democratic progress, and, from that point of view, I am very happy.

Question: He is reminded that in his last television appearance he appeared surprised and even upset by the anger expressed by young people. Did that reflect a failure by the Government or is Europe the problem?

Chirac: First of all, I wasn't really surprised because I obviously know the problems faced by the French every day, and in particular by the young. They are problems linked to insufficient economic growth in the recent past, problems of employment, of buying power. These problems, obviously, I am aware of.

What I want to underline is that it seemed to me that there was an insufficient understanding - or it appeared that way - of France's chances, her trump cards, her potential, which is great.

Secondly, the problems posed are problems which were not directly related to the question, which is,"Should we adopt the European Constitution or not?". They are problems which all, or almost all, are a question of individual national policies, and specifically, the policies of the French Government.

Question: Could you give us two or three arguments to persuade us that life would be better tomorrow with the Constitution?

Chirac: Two or three - you are restricting me!

Firstly, Europe must be organised, because its job is to help root democracy and peace across our whole region. That is crucial - we've been fighting each other for thousands of years, it's human nature. We could see clearly with the rise of methods of mass destruction, the disastrous consequences of that - that last two World Wars were an example of it. We had to root peace to be able to leave our children a peaceful world, and to do that we had to help democracy take root, too. That is one of the essential objectives.

Secondly, this Constitution has a certain number of merits. The first is that, in reality, it gathers together all those values which are French values. It's been described, speaking of enlargement, as the "daughter of 1989" - that is to say of the fall of the Berlin Wall. That is true, but it is above all the "daughter of 1789". It is French values, all of France's values, that will be taken up in the charter of fundamental rights that is at the heart of this constitution.

And that's why the French, more than others, are right to be proud that these values will henceforth become the general rule. That's also true for some other notions that were for us quite crucial - I'm thinking of the recogntion of public services, which we have never had, I'm thinking of the recognition of cultural diversity which has often been questioned in the modern world and which is now recognised in the Constitution. That is one point.

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