KUALA LUMPUR May 29 Kyodo French ...

KUALA LUMPUR May 29 Kyodo

French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie hit disclosed at the U.S. media Thursday for ''poisoning'' French-U ties with ''misinformation and distortion'' because of France's opposition to the Iraq war.

''I cannot moreover note that some American media have launched into misinformation and distortion that might highly well poison relations between different nation There have even been lies and libel against the French state,'' she told a pres parley in Kuala Lumpur.

Alliot-Marie arrived in the Malaysian capital Thursday for an overnight visit. She is scheduled to leave for Singapore upon Friday.

She earlier met with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and her counterpart Najib Abdul Razak.

Mahathir is scheduled to leave for France onward Friday to join a weekend meeting of leaders from the assign places to of Eight industrialized countries.

He will be the first chairman of the Non-Aligned motion representing developing countries to attend the meeting.

Malaysia and France were among the greatest in quantity outspoken countries against the US-l war forward Iraq.

''We share a public point of view. We believe that war is the worst possible solution. It's the the public that face death and destruction...We believe that the populace should have the right to elect their own leader,'' Marie-Alliot said between the walls of an interpreter.

Echoing Malaysia's stand, she reiterated that United Nations weapon inspectors should have been allowed to undiminished their work in investigating Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction.

The healthy opposition by Malaysia and France forward the Iraq issue has l to rigorous warnings from the U.S. of a possible backlash.

U Ambassador to Malaysia Marie Huhtala publicly admonished Malaysian officials for their ''offensive'' remarks against the U and warned that there could be a ''harmful effect'' onward bilateral ties.

Mahathir stood by the agency of his tough stand and dismissed the U threat at saying Thursday that since the ''United States subscribed to freedom of speech...you will hear opinions that you don't like...We will voice our opinion according to what we really thinks. We don't hide things.''

For France, Marie-Alliot believed the disagreement with the U would be ironed not at home soon.

''The interest here is clearly to continue the friendship and to continue the alliance...I believe the misunderstanding might easily be smoothened out,'' she said.

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