PARIS, Sept. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- French Foreign Ministry confirmed Friday the delay of Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar's visit to France, previously scheduled for Sept. 6-7, because of the hostagetaking of two French journalists in Iraq.

    "In view of the current circumstances relative to the situationof our two compatriots, the visit of the Iraqi president will not take place at the scheduled dates," the French Foreign Ministry announced, adding that the decision to postpone the visit was madejointly by Paris and Baghdad.

    The scheduled visit to Paris at the invitation of French President Jacques Chirac was the first leg of Al-Yawar's European tour, which will take him to Berlin, Rome, Warsaw and Brussels.

    Concerning the sharp criticism of Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi on Thursday against Chirac, the French Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Cecile Pozzo di Borgo said that the French authoritieshas no comments on the report.

    An editorial published on Thursday by the mouthpiece of Allawi's party, the Iraqi National Accord, said that "Chirac, who wants to present himself as fair, must take his share of responsibility in the kidnapping of his two compatriots as he opposed all international resolutions aimed at restoring Iraqis' security."

    The two journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, were reportedly kidnapped on their way from Baghdad to the Iraqi Shiite holy city of Najaf on Aug. 20.

    They are now out of danger and their release will be imminent, announced earlier in the day in Baghdad Sheikh Abdel Salam al-Qubaysi, leader of the Board of Muslim "Ulama", the most representative organization of the Iraqi Sunnites, according to French radio RFI.

    French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier and a delegation of the French Council for the Muslim Faith (FCMF) are now waiting in Amman for their release.

    The kidnappers, calling themselves the Islamic Army of Iraq, demanded Paris to revoke a law banning Islamic headscarves in state schools. Despite the threat, France remained firm on the headscarves ban and the French new academic year started smoothly Thursday with the law taking effect as normal. Enditem