FRANCE: French President-elect Nicolas Sarkozy makes repairing U.S.-French relations a Priority

U.S.-French relations have been strained in recent years over the Iraq war, with France's outgoing president Jacques Chirac a leading European voice against the conflict. Sarkozy has made a priority of repairing the damage. He pledges France's friendship to the United States. U.S.-French relations have been strained in recent years over the Iraq war, with France's outgoing president Jacques Chirac being a leading European voice against the conflict. French President-elect Nicolas Sarkozy has made a priority of repairing the damage. He pledged France's friendship with the United States in a speech after his election last Sunday (May 6). "The friendship between the USA and Europe has deep roots, I'm going to use a strong word, it is unshakeable. Friendship means being there when your friend needs you, but it also means that you can tell your friend the truth when he is wrong. Friendship is about showing your friend respect, respect and comprehension but friendship does not mean submission," Sarkozy said at a meeting in Toulon earlier this year. On Europe, Sarkozy is committed to a slimmed down, quick treaty modernising the EU's institutions to replace the more ambitious constitution which French and Dutch voters rejected in referendums in 2005. Dr. Bruno Tertrais Head of Research at the Foundation of Strategic Research believes that Sarkozy will not change French foreign policy drastically. "I'm almost sure that the important positions of French foreign policy will remain very much the same as they were in the last 12 years with Jacques Chirac," said Tertrais. Sarkozy will meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Friday (May 11), and German Chancellor Angela Merkel next week after officially assuming his functions as president. Chirac will hand over power to Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday (May 16).

ITN Source | May 12, 2007

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