It's "Don't mention the war" for France's Kouchner

PARIS (Reuters) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has cut the word 'war' from his vocabulary, he said on Tuesday, after he inadvertently sparked controversy by saying the world should prepare for a war with Iran.

In a live televised interview last month, Kouchner said: "We must prepare for the worst", and: "The worst, sir, is war", adding that military plans were being drawn up for that eventuality but it was not an imminent prospect.

His remarks prompted an appeal for calm by U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei, and several countries, including the United States, said they believed a standoff over Iran's nuclear programme could be resolved through diplomacy.

"I am not in favour of that horrible word that I no longer pronounce," Kouchner told reporters as he left a closed-door parliamentary hearing that dealt with Iran and other issues.

"I am in favour of peace," he added.

Kouchner has said his remarks about war were taken out of context, and he has repeatedly said since then that he wants a peaceful outcome to a standoff over Tehran's atomic programme and is working on a diplomatic solution.

France and five other world powers agreed on Friday to delay toughening U.N. sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear programme until November at the earliest to wait for reports by ElBaradei and European Union negotiator Javier Solana.

In the meantime, the usually outspoken Kouchner will mind his language whenever the three-letter word is involved.

"If I do not have the opportunity to pronounce it, I will be very happy," he said.