PARIS, France (Reuters) -- French President Jacques Chirac's government decided on Monday to ask Parliament to extend emergency powers for three months to quell unrest that he said had caused a deep malaise."We will respond by being firm, by being fair and by being faithful to the values of France," Chirac said in his first televised address to the nation on unrest by youths in poor suburbs over racism, a lack of jobs and a sense of exclusion.Chirac, who has been under fire for saying little during the crisis, also announced the creation of a voluntary task force to help young people find work. He said it would provide training for 50,000 young people in 2007.Although the violence was waning after reaching a peak a week ago, police said youths destroyed 284 vehicles in petrol bomb attacks on Sunday night."I think it's over. I think the young people have let out their anger, and I think the government got the message," said Bernard Moutei, 40, walking among the high-rise estates in the Clichy-sous-Bois suburb of Paris where the unrest began.Disturbances began with the deaths on October 27 of two youths apparently fleeing police, but grew into wider protests by youths of African and Arab origin as well as white youngsters.The government approved emergency powers last week that went into force on November 9 for 12 days.On Monday, it agreed on a draft law to extend the measures until February. The law goes before the lower house of Parliament on Tuesday and its passage seems certain because the ruling center-right party dominates the two chambers.Chirac called for calm, urged people to rally together and said the main priority remained to restore public order."These events bear witness to a deep malaise," Chirac said. Referring to the problems of youths in the suburbs, he added: "It is a crisis of meaning, a crisis of reference points and an identity crisis."The emergency powers, including curfews, were introduced under a 50-year-old colonial-era law to grant prefects, France's top local officials, broad powers to impose curfews and other restrictions on designated areas.The decree named 38 towns, cities and urban areas across France. But few prefects have made use of the new powers.Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin would meet leaders of the main political parties on Tuesday just before the vote on the draft law in the National Assembly, his office said.The Communist Party plans to boycott the vote and the main opposition Socialists are expected to oppose the law."I want to express our extreme reserve about the extension, all the more so since the measures have been used only on rare occasions," said Socialist Party spokesman Julien Dray.Chirac has been heavily criticized for appearing out of touch, but the Socialists appear not to have made up ground on the president's ruling Union for a Popular Movement.An opinion poll on Monday showed a majority of voters did not think the Socialists would do any better in ending the violence, and 60 percent said they believed the Socialists were incapable of winning the next presidential elections in 2007.Violence has declined sharply since last Sunday's peak of 1,400 vehicles torched across France. Police said 10 youths were arrested in the southwestern city of Toulouse after youths burned 10 vehicles on Sunday and damaged a school.Overnight, five police officers were hurt and 115 people detained. Police have arrested 2,767 people since the unrest began.The disturbances have sparked a debate on the integration of immigrants and triggered copycat violence in some EU neighbors.Many people in affected areas do not expect government plans to help poor neighborhoods to bear much fruit."The government is not serious. They are not doing enough for us ... We don't have a proper cinema, nothing. Nothing is going to change," said a 16-year-old in Clichy-sous-Bois who gave his name only as Ali.Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.