France's immigration minister on Sunday proposed a national debate on French "national identity," saying it should not include face-covering Muslim veils.

"For me, no burqas on the street," Eric Besson said on, referring to the all-encompassing veils such as those worn in Afghanistan. But he didn't directly suggest a ban, saying it was up to lawmakers to decide whether that would be the most effective measure.

"The burqa runs counter to national values," he said, saying such veils are an affront to women's rights and the French commitment to equality.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has said the burqa imprisons women and is not welcome in France, and a parliamentary commission is holding six months of hearings that could lay the groundwork for a law banning Muslim women from wearing head-to-toe and face-covering veils in public.

Besson suggested a 2 1/2-month-long "great debate on national identity" on the theme "What does it mean to be French?" The idea is "to reaffirm values of national identity and pride in being French," he said.