French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy on Friday condemned the "unacceptable" remarks of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who said the final solution to the conflict in Lebanon was the "elimination" of Israel.

"I totally condemn these unacceptable remarks," Douste-Blazy said on Radio France Internationale.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose country backs the Lebanese Shi'ite militia Hezbollah, has called many times for the elimination of the Israeli regime, which he labeled as a "tumor".

"The real cure for the conflict in Lebanon is elimination of the Zionist regime, but there should be an immediate ceasefire first," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying on Thursday.

Douste-Blazy reaffirmed France's position of favoring Iranian involvement in settling the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

"Iran plays clearly an important role in the region (the Middle East), particularly in the Israeli-Lebanese conflict," he said.

Source: Xinhua