New ministry for Villepin
PARIS, France (CNN) -- French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, a staunch and vocal opponent of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, will leave his post to become minister of the interior, a senior French official told CNN Tuesday.
The switch will be officially announced Wednesday.
Villepin will be replaced by Michel Barnier, a current European commissioner.
Barnier was minister of the environment and minister for European affairs between 1993 and 1997.
The change does not indicate a shift in France's foreign policy, the senior French official insisted; instead it is part of a larger reshuffling of the government.
Villepin's new position cannot be seen as a demotion. The minister of the interior is the head of most law enforcement and some counterterrorism agencies. The post is usually given to a very close ally of the president.
Word of the change comes three days after President Jacques Chirac's ruling majority suffered a serious political setback, losing all but one local election. (Voters punish Chirac)
