N'DJAMEMA (Reuters) - French Defence Minister Herve Morin flew to Chad on Wednesday in a show of support for President Idriss Deby, who survived a weekend assault on the capital N'Djamena by rebels seeking to topple him.
"I can confirm that Mr Morin is in N'Djamena and will bevisiting French troops and the Chadian authorities," aspokesman at the French military base in N'Djamena toldReuters.
The visit came as Paris, which has warplanes and more than1,000 troops stationed in its former central African colony,threw its weight behind Deby.
After obtaining U.N. Security Council backing for Deby'sgovernment, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Tuesdayhis country could intervene if called upon against the rebels,whom Chad says are backed by neighbour Sudan. Khartoum deniesthis.
In Paris, a Defence Ministry source said Morin would be inChad "for a few hours" and would meet Deby, whose forces heldoff a rebel attack on the presidential palace at the weekend.
(Reporting by Pascal Fletcher and Gilles Trequesser)
