French President Jacques Chirac announced in a televised address Sunday night that he would not seek a third presidential term.

This came after long expectation by French media for Chirac to clarify whether he will be among contestants for this year's presidential elections.

Chirac urged French people to stay true to their values. "Never have trucks with extremism, racism, anti-Semitism or the rejection of others. In our own history, extremism has already nearly brought us to the abyss," he said.

"France is not a country like others. It has particular responsibilities, the legacy of its history and the universal values which it helped create," Chirac said. "Facing the risk of the clash of civilizations, facing the rise of extremism, notably religious extremism, France must defend tolerance, dialogue and respect," he added.

Chirac, 74, has repeatedly answered the question of whether he would seek re-election by saying that he would make his decision during the first quarter of 2007.

Elected president in 1995, Chirac has been in the presidential palace for 12 years, five years of which he spent in cohabitation with former socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.

Chirac's activities on the diplomatic front, notably France saying "no" to the Iraqi war, his commitment to the environment protection and solidarity with countries from the South, has won him the respect and admiration from different corners of the world, according to observers.

Profile: French President Jacques Chirac

French President Jacques Chirac announced in a televised address Sunday night that he would not seek a third presidential term, having been active for more than 40 years at the top of French politics. The following are basic facts about Chirac.

Born in November 1932 in a middle-class family in Paris, Chirac was the only child in his family and was educated in the elite Paris Institute of Political Studies and National Administration School.

In 1956, he married Bernadette Chodron de Courcel, with whom he later had two daughters, Laurence and Claude who has long been his personal advisor.

Chirac began his career as a high-level civil servant, an advisor to Prime Minister George Pompidou and started his political life in the 1960s. He was first elected as member of National Assembly in 1967.

Chirac was appointed prime minister for the first time in 1974, at the age of 42. He had been mayor of Paris for 18 years, from 1977 to 1995 during which he was re-elected as prime minister in 1986.

Chirac has served as president of France since he was first elected in 1995. He won a re-election in 2002. His current term expires on May 17, 2007.

Chirac has stood for lower tax rates, the removal of price controls and business privatization and is famous for his opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Editor: Yan