Two of the partners behind the planned Nabucco gas pipeline said Tuesday they would welcome a French company's bid to become a seventh partner in the project.

Austria's OMV AG (OMV.VI) and Germany's RWE AG (RWE.XE) said in a joint statement they are open to accepting a new partner into the consortium that is to build the 3,300 kilometer-long pipeline designed to transport gas from the Caspian region to Europe by 2014.

The statement comes after French President Nicolas Sarkozy told the Turkish President Abdullah Guel Monday that he hopes French companies, in particular GDF Suez SA (GSZ.FR), will be given a chance to participate in the project.

"We are viewing the wish of France for a stake in the project with great interest. We have always said that Nabucco is open for any partner that is prepared to utilize its experience and strength to see the project successfully through, RWE Chief Executive Stefan Judisch is cited as saying in the statement.

OMV's head of its gas division, Werner Auli, said: "A possible partnership by a French company is definitely to be welcomed."

Other current members of the Nabucco consortium are Turkey's Botas, Bulgaria's Bulgarian Energy Holding, Romania's Transgaz and Hungary's MOL Nyrt. (MOL.BU).

-By Flemming E. Hansen, Dow Jones Newswires; +43 1 513 69 22 10; flemming.hansen@dowjones.com