"The coalition forces have a specific responsibility" for ensuring security, de Villepin told reporters after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

"It is important that everything be done on the ground to ensure the population's security," the minister added, referring to looting and vengeance attacks being reported in major Iraqi cities.

De Villepin is in Egypt on the first leg of a Middle East tour that is to include Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

He enjoys wide popularity here for his strong anti-war stance in the UN Security Council during the seven-month diplomatic tussle that preceded the US-led invasion on Iraq on March 20.

ob-at-ms/wai/dab

SPACE.WIRE