Chirac, president for the 12 years before Sarkozy took office in 2007, explains how little the two men had in common, and also how little he appreciated Sarkozy's swipes at two things close to his heart: Japanese culture and sumo wrestling.
Former French president Jacques Chirac says in memoirs to be published this month that his successor Nicolas Sarkozy is one of the best politicians of his generation but he could not trust him.
Chirac, president for the 12 years before Sarkozy took office in 2007, explains how little the two men had in common, and also how little he appreciated Sarkozy's swipes at two things close to his heart: Japanese culture and sumo wrestling.
"Trust cannot be decreed but it is an absolute necessity. There were too many grey areas and misunderstandings between Nicolas Sarkozy and me to fully meet that prerequisite," he writes in extracts from the book published in French media.
Chirac says that was why he considered but ultimately opted not to name Sarkozy prime minister in 2002, even if he admired the energy, media mastery and tactical strength of "one of the most talented politicians of his generation".
Chirac also describes Sarkozy as "nervous", "impetuous" and too self-assured.
Sarkozy served as finance and interior minister under Chirac but has never matched his predecessor's natural ability to endear himself to the French people.
With his ratings hovering just above their lowest since he took power and criticised by many as brash and impulsive, Sarkozy faces a tough battle for re-election in 2012 against a resurgent left with the far-right eating into his core support base.
Sarkozy is also cast in a less than ideal light in a film currently in French cinemas that chronicles the collapse of his former marriage immediately after he won the 2007 election.
Chirac writes in his memoirs that when gearing up for the 2007 contest Sarkozy increasingly sought personal confrontation, once by mocking comments about Japan and fans of sumo combat -- cultural traits greatly admired by the former head of state.
"I pretended not to notice that I was the target," Chirac says. "I just told myself we had neither the same tastes nor the same culture."
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