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GETTING PALLY: The body language says it all - visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy was greeted like an old friend by US President George W.Bush at the White House on Tuesday night for a black-tie dinner. -- PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON - FRENCH President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the friendship between France and the United States, in a rare address yesterday to the US Congress.
'Since the United States first appeared on the world scene, our two peoples, the French and the American people, have always been friends,' Mr Sarkozy said, as he emphatically drew a veil on years of cross-Atlantic tensions sparked by the Iraq war.
He received lengthy and warm applause as he arrived for a joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and his address was met by several standing ovations as he heaped praise on the US.
'We may have differences, we may disagree on things, we may even have arguments, as in many families,' he said, 'but in times of difficulty, in times of hardship, one stands true to one's friends, one stands shoulder to shoulder with them, one supports them, and one helps them.'
Mr Sarkozy opened the new, cosier chapter in US-French relations when he arrived in Washington on Tuesday with a simple message: 'I wish to reconquer the heart of America in a lasting fashion.'
The two countries buried the hatchet as US President George W. Bush greeted his French counterpart at the White House with a toast, saying: 'Bienvenue a la Maison Blanche' (Welcome to the White House) in Texan-accented French.
The red-carpet welcome for Mr Sarkozy on his first official visit to the US indicated the increasingly warm Franco-US relationship.
Mr Sarkozy, often called 'Sarko the American', is one of the most pro-US French leaders in decades and he aims to show Mr Bush that France has turned a page on the past.
'I also came to say that one can be a friend of America, and yet win elections in France,' he joked without sidestepping the fact that Mr Bush and the Iraq war continue to remain unpopular in his country.
In contrast to the last official US visit by a French president in 2001 - when Mr Jacques Chirac earned US consternation for hailing France as an antidote to American 'hyperpower' - Mr Sarkozy spoke at a dinner on Tuesday evening with passion about freedom and liberty and the need for US-French cooperation in addressing terrorism, nuclear proliferation, poverty and religious fanaticism.
His address to the Congress yesterday was highlighted by his remarks on his country's lasting gratitude to the US for its role in World War II.
'France will never forget the sacrifice of your children,' Mr Sarkozy said, referring to the arrival of American troops on the beaches of Normandy to liberate France from Nazi occupation.
He also backed Washington's tough line on Iran's nuclear programme and promised to keep French troops in Afghanistan for as long as needed.
But he urged the Americans to do more to shore up the dollar and called upon them to take the lead in the fight against global warming.
Later yesterday, Mr Sarkozy was scheduled to meet Mr Bush for talks at Mount Vernon, the historic residence of the first US president George Washington.
The two leaders will discuss 'all the main international dossiers, whether regional crises or big strategic questions', the French embassy said.
Iran and the Middle East peace efforts were likely to dominate their discussions. The two are in close agreement on issues such as the Iran nuclear standoff, where Paris has supported Washington's attempt to secure stronger sanctions.
'Our two nations support the democratic government in Lebanon. We agree that reconciliation and democracy in Iraq are vital to the future of the Middle East.
'And our two nations condemn violations of human rights in Darfur, in Burma and around the world,' Mr Bush had said at Tuesday's dinner.
'France and the US can meet great challenges when we work together, Mr President,' he told Mr Sarkozy.
Speaking earlier to French and American business leaders, Mr Sarkozy said: 'I never quite understood why we had to fight with the US.'
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
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