Having been written off as lame ducks after a series of domestic setbacks, Jacques Chirac and Dominique de Villepin, France's president and prime minister, are regaining popularity with voters thanks to their diplomacy in the Middle East.

Approval ratings for both men, whose political fortunes appeared until recently to be on the decline, have risen 5 percentage points in a month, according to an opinion poll published at the weekend. Analysts attributed the jump to the pivotal role France has played in international attempts to halt the violence in Lebanon.