France could envisage a Nato force in Iraq if it was approved by a sovereign Iraqi government and by the United Nations, Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said in an interview published on Thursday.
France led opposition to the US-launched war in Iraq and until now Villepin has said it was premature to discuss any Nato presence there.
"First, Nato can only be involved at the behest of an Iraqi government and with the prior agreement of the United Nations," Villepin told Le Figaro newspaper.
"Great care is needed over what some countries in the region could regard as an act of aggression. Nothing would be worse than triggering a feeling of confrontation between the Arab world and our countries, between the West and Islam," he said.
Villepin did not say whether France would envisage offering troops for any future Nato mission, reiterating only that Paris was ready to offer police training after power is handed back to Iraqis around a scheduled date of June 30.
Germany, which also opposed the conflict, has said it would not stand in the way of a Nato mission.
The United States has called repeatedly for Nato to play a greater role than the support it now provides to a 23-nation force led by Poland.
"There is a question of principle," said Villepin. "Would the arrival in the Middle East of Nato itself be a stabilising or complicating factor?"
The United Nations has cast doubt on whether elections can be held to form an Iraqi government before the June 30 deadline the United States has set for a hand-over of power.
Villepin said the date should be met.
"A return of sovereignty was envisaged for June 30. We must respect this timeframe," he said.
Any decision on an enhanced role for Nato is expected at a summit in Istanbul at the end of June.