- Born on 8 December 1928 in Paris (F), died on 18 July 2012 in Paris

- Nationality: French

- Student at the National School of Administration (ENA) (1953–1955)

- Embassy Secretary assigned to the Directorate-General for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris (1955)

- Policy Officer then Deputy Head in the Private Office of the French Junior Minister for Foreign Affairs and Secretary-General of the French Delegation to the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom (1956–1958)

- Deputy Director of European Organisations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1958–1960)

- Head of the Technical Assistance Mission to Morocco (1961–1963)

- Deputy Director of the Africa Section in the central administration of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1963–1965)

- Research Officer at the National Centre for Scientific Research (1965–1966)

- Adviser in Tehran (1969–1971)

- Junior Minister to Jean Sauvagnargues, Minister for Foreign Affairs (1976)

- Secretary-General of the Presidency of the French Republic (1976–1978)

- Minister for Foreign Affairs (1978–1981)

- Chairman of the Lot-et-Garonne General Council (1978–1994, 1998–2004)

- Senator for the Lot-et-Garonne département (1983–2011)