Vichy lives! From Reuters (link and quip thanks to Paul):
BEIRUT, July 31 (Reuters) – Iran is a significant, respected player in the Middle East which is playing a stabilising role, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on Monday.
“It was clear that we could never accept a destabilisation of Lebanon, which could lead to a destabilisation of the region,” Douste-Blazy said in Beirut.
“In the region there is of course a country such as Iran — a great country, a great people and a great civilisation which is respected and which plays a stabilising role in the region,” he told a news conference.