New French poll

[Almighty Colin]

PARIS, April 15 (Reuters) - Many French have dropped their opposition to the U.S.-led war in Iraq since Saddam Hussein's fall and almost half believe France is now isolated because of its anti-war stance, according to a poll released on Tuesday.

Thirty-five percent of those surveyed said that in retrospect they believed the war was a good thing, up from 17 percent in a similar poll in March.

Forty-six percent said France, among the loudest critics of the conflict, now appeared isolated diplomatically.

The survey by pollsters Louis Harris questioned 1,005 people on April 11-12, after the collapse of Saddam's rule. The results were published by French daily Liberation.

Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed were still against the war, down from 78 percent in a similar poll by the CSA institute that was published on March 29.

President Jacques Chirac, an outspoken opponent of the conflict, remained hugely popular, however. Chirac's approval rating stood at 70 percent, down from a historically high 74 percent in a similar poll in mid-March just before war began, but sharply above his score of 61 percent in February.

Nonetheless, a portion of the population was critical of the French line after Chirac threatened to veto any fresh United Nations resolution authorising military intervention in Iraq.

Fifty-six percent believed France now had greater influence in the Arab world, which was largely opposed to the war in Iraq.