French President Jacques Chirac said yesterday he was ?hostile? to any international sanctions against the Palestinian Authority under the leadership of militant group Hamas.

?I know well that there some who envisage sanctions. For my part, I am hostile to sanctions in general and in this case in particular... basically the Palestinian people would bear the brunt of it,? he told a news conference in Saudi Arabia.

The Islamist militant group won an election landslide in January, prompting Israel, the United States and European Union ? which includes France ? to threaten to stop funding unless it renounces violence and recognises Israel.

An EU official reiterated yesterday that the EU would stop payments to the Palestinian Authority once Hamas takes power unless those conditions were met.

Chirac did not explain how France would stop funding the Palestinian Authority but maintain aid to Palestinians. France often presents itself as supporting Arab causes, while some Arabs regard the United States as biased towards Israel.

?I hope the discussions with Hamas that some parties have begun can lead to this positive result. To be honest, I don?t doubt it will, since Hamas has to assume its responsibilities,? Chirac said, referring to the EU and US demands. A Hamas delegation last week visited Russia, the group?s first trip to a major foreign power, in the hope of gaining some international standing.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia last month snubbed US efforts to persuade them to isolate Hamas during a regional visit by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.