Paris - The wife of French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, journalist Christine Ockrent, is to become general director of the state-owned TV all-news station France 24, the online edition of the weekly Le Point reported on Friday.

Ockrent, who will turn 65 in April, will not answer to her husband's ministry, but will be directly under the office of Prime Minister Francois Fillon, the weekly reported.

When Ockrent's name was first linked to the management of France 24, many observers and media analysts suspected that Kouchner had a hand in the appointment. But the foreign minister firmly denied the allegations.

Kouchner also denied charges that there would be any conflict of interest in her running the news station, which has a large foreign viewership. France 24 is fully owned by the French government. (dpa)