PARIS, August 4, 2008 (AFP) - Former French president Jacques Chirac on Monday hailed Alexander Solzhenitsyn as 'a great fighter for truth' and a 'figure of freedom,' following his death aged 89.

'It is with great sadness that I learned of the death of Nobel literature prize winner Alexander Solzhenitsyn,' he said in a statement, describing him as the 'heir of the giants of Russian literature and an exceptional historian.'

'Alexander Solzhenitsyn will be remembered as an intellectual who provided us with a testimony, tinged with suffering, and a sharp and accurate view on the tragedies of 20th-century totalitarianism.'

'Russia today lost a great fighter for truth, who worked to reconcile the Russians with their past. The world loses a figure of freedom,' Chirac said, offering his condolences to Solzhenitsyn's family and the Russian people.