PARIS, April 10 (Xinhua) -- French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, sponsor of the

French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin gives a speech in Paris, Monday April 10, 2006 in Paris.  (Photo: Xinhua/Reuters)

controversial First Employment Contract (CPE) job law, stated in a televised broadcast that he regretted the law could not be applied.

    "The necessary conditions of confidence and calm are not there, either among young people, or companies, to allow the application of the First Job Contract," Villepin said after meetings with Chirac.

    President Jacques Chirac announced earlier Monday that the highly controversial Article 8 of the equal opportunities law would be replaced with measures to help disadvantaged young people find work.

    Villepin said the contract would be replaced by proposals aimed at helping disadvantaged young job-seekers and he said he would open a discussion "without preconditions" with social partners on how to provide for youth unemployment.

    A poll by the French left-wing Liberation newspaper showed that Villepin's popularity, which stood at 49 percent early January, had fallen to 25 percent this weekend.

    French trade unions and the government opposition hailed the decision as a success for the social movement. Trade unions and student groups, which had threatened more protests unless the measure was withdrawn, were to meet later Monday to decide on their next action.

    The CPE law allowed employers to fire, without cause, newly hired workers under the age of 26 within two years.

    Opponents said the law would erode hard-won labour rights and make it more difficult for youths to find long-term jobs, and also criticized the maneuver as "surrealistic" and "undemocratic."

    The proposed law provoked massive protests, at times violent, in which more than 3,600 people were arrested.

    Details of the amended measures were expected later in the day and new legislation could be presented to parliament as early as this week. Enditem

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