KEY POINTS:
Nicolas Sarkozy has proclaimed a new era in the often troubled relationship between the United States and France, urging Washington to "trust Europe", and throwing his weight behind tough new sanctions to force Iran to halt its uranium enrichment programme.
In an address to the US Congress interrupted only by several standing ovations, the French President spoke in glowing, at times emotional, terms of America and its role in the world, and of France's debt to the US in two world wars and the Cold War that followed.
The atmosphere could not have been further from the frosty chill that prevailed under Sarkozy's predecessor, Jacques Chirac, who enraged the Bush Administration with his opposition to the Iraq war.
This time, by contrast, Iraq went unmentioned. Instead, the French President delivered a stern warning to Tehran, borrowing the language of President Bush himself. "The prospect of an Iran armed with nuclear weapons is unacceptable," he declared. "No one must doubt our determination."
"We may disagree, but we remain friends," Sarkozy said. He told the Senate and House of Representatives the US and France were partners.
In the fight against terrorism, "America can count on France", and in Afghanistan his country would remain engaged "as long as it takes".
- Independent
