Sarkozy outlines “entente amicale” to UK parliament
French president Nicolas Sarkozy has called on Britain to enter into a “Franco-British brotherhood” in his speech to parliament.
Addressing a joint session of both the Commons and the Lords in the Palace of Westminster’s Royal Gallery, Mr Sarkozy said France and the UK should put aside “centuries of mistrust” and foster an “entente amicable” for the 21st century.
He enthusiastically described the similarities of France and Britain, in terms of nuclear power, permanent UN security council membership and comparable GDP, armed forces and population sizes.
Unity between the two countries could be used to “convince and remind the US” of its duties but it would also be crucial for the future growth of the European Union, he pressed.
“Europe needs the United Kingdom,” he said, attracting applause from MPs and peers in the packed chamber.
He described France and the UK as the “best incarnations of Europe” and said the EU represented the “intermingled destines” of the two countries.
“Together we are stronger than simply standing side by side, let alone standing against one another. And that is the political message that I want to get across to you today,” Mr Sarkozy said.
Further applause met his statement that France and Britain had often been “locked in combat not because we were too different but because we were too alike”.
France had an “eternal debt of gratitude” to Britain for liberating it from the Nazis during the second world war, he continued.
“Because we do not have the right to forget what young British men did to free France, France will never forget.”
The French president’s speech covered a range of international topics including the Taliban threat in Afghanistan, the need for agreement on a post-Kyoto protocol and “Iran’s nuclear ambitions”.
He finished by drawing attention to the “same vision for the future” between Britain and France.
“Long live Franco-British friendship,” he concluded, before receiving a standing ovation.
