PARIS, Sept. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said Sunday he believes the two French journalists held hostage in Iraq are in good health and that a favorable ending is possible.

    After giving President Jacques Chirac an account of "the first part" of his Middle East mission to seek the hostages' release, Barnier said he is "ready to go back to the region at any moment."

    "Our absolute priority remains today to gain the release of Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot (the two journalists). Our priority is their security," he said.

    "We have serious reason to believe that both of them are in good health and a favorable ending is possible," he said, noting that his mission to the Middle East is to explain France's republican identity and what France has done all over the world and notably in this region for the dignity, freedom and sovereignty of the people.

    Barnier said the newsmen are being treated correctly and French diplomats in Jordan and Iraq are working to secure their release.

    Barnier left Amman, Jordan, on Saturday evening after his one-week tour that took him to Egypt, Jordan and Qatar to seek the release of two French journalists.

    Malbrunot, who reports for the daily Le Figaro, and Chesnot, with Radio France, were last heard from on Aug. 19 before they set off for the southern Iraqi city of Najaf.

    Militants who claimed to hold the men demanded that France revoke a law banning pupils from wearing Islamic head scarves in state schools. The government rejected the demand, implementing the law as planned when the school year started Thursday. Enditem