France said on Wednesday the reported abuse of Iraqi prisoners by US forces was "totally unacceptable" and if confirmed would clearly violate international conventions.
France led the opposition against the US-led war in Iraq and French President Jacques Chirac last week reiterated a call for a swift return of sovereignty to Iraq within the framework set out by the United Nations.
"The treatment inflicted on certain Iraqi prisoners, such as are shown on pictures displayed by media in the last few days, are totally unacceptable," the French foreign ministry said.
The abuse scandal blew up last week when a US television station aired photographs that were taken by some of the six soldiers now facing court-martial for abusing prisoners.
Some of the photographs from the Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad showed naked Iraqi prisoners stacked in a pyramid or positioned to simulate sexual acts. The affair has inflamed anti-American sentiment, especially in the Muslim world.
"We understand the strong emotions provoked by such acts, which - if they are confirmed - are disgraceful and constitute clear and unacceptable violations of international conventions," a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement.
US President George W. Bush promised on Wednesday that those responsible for abusing Iraqi prisoners would be punished.
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