France's President Jacques Chirac on Tuesday urged oil companies to lower gasoline prices at the service stations.
Chirac called for "strong support for the indispensable movement toward lower prices at the pump," said government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope after the weekly cabinet meeting.
He demanded "everything be done so that these companies commit themselves quickly and strongly to investment in the development of non-polluting energies," Cope said.
Chirac also praised French Finance Minister Thierry Breton for threatening oil firms to impose an "exceptional tax" unless those firms lower their prices at the pump.
Chirac was satisfied with the decision announced by energy giants Total and BP to lower prices on Saturday, the spokesman said
