Fillon said in the interview that that there were "no problems with Areva" and that its top managers had "the confidence of the state."

French nuclear technology, and domestic nuclear production of electricity, are key assets for the French economy, and Areva is one of the main bidders to build nuclear power stations across the world.

Fillon was commenting on a decision on Monday by nuclear safety bodies in Britain, France and Finland to issue strong reservations about the system of control for the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) developed by Areva and German group Siemens.

They warned that the operating system was not sufficiently independent of the safety system which would be used in any emergency.

Fillon said: "It is necessary for there to be extreme rigour in terms of safety. I have no doubt that the problems raised by the safety authority will be resolved and that French reactors will rank among the best and the safest in the world."

He also said: "We are in the process of building new-generation reactors. It is quite normal that there is a debate. The new factor is that this debate is transparent."

On a separate energy issue, Fillon also objected in his remarks to Le Monde that 20 percent of French nuclear reactors operated by EDF were not functioning, with the result that France would have to import large quantities of electricity.

The shutdowns were "not normal" and there was a "problem of organisation" and of "maintenance," he said.

Most of the electricity used in France is generated by nuclear power stations.

But 18 of 58 reactors were not working on Monday so that they could be refuelled with nuclear material, or for maintenance or because of various incidents, an AFP survey of the power stations showed.

Under normal conditions, four or five reactors would be at a standstill at this time of the year, just as demand for energy for heating is rising with the onset of winter in the northern hemisphere.

Both Areva and EDF are controlled by the French state.

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