A tough game ahead

On behalf of France, I wish to pay tribute to those American youths who shed their blood on Norman soil, and who now rest there for all eternity. We shall never forget them, President Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday during the ceremony commemorating the 65th anniversary of D-Day at the Colleville-sur-Mer cemetery.
Over 9000 US soldiers are buried there.
The ceremony was also attended by the British prime minister Gordon Brown, the Prince of Wales and the Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper, and D-day veterans from the four countries.
Presidents Obama and Sarkozy held only one, one hour meeting during the American president’s two day visit, yesterday at the Caen Préfecture, before the D-Day commemoration.
Using the familiar «tu» when addressing Obama (instead of the formal «vous»), Sarkozy said that never have the US and France been so close...it's a pleasure to work with Barack Obama. France is America’s friend, and we have the will to work together on the major issues, and both presidents agreed that, on the issues in question: Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and human rights and security, France and America shared the same vision…
Though the meeting between the two was a short one, Obama said that it helped that Sarkozy 　talked fast. Sarkozy retorted that it was also highly convenient that Obama understood everything quickly.
The only significant divergence was Turkey, and the question of whether or not it should become a member of the European Union. The US has traditionally backed its membership claims. Sarkozy, on the other hand, though he does advocate a close security and economic partnership with Turkey, does not consider it to be part of Europe, if only geographically, and therefore does not support full EU membership.
One corollary issue is the wearing of the Islamic veil by Muslim women, particularly in Western countries.
In his Cairo speech, Obama said the following: likewise, it is important for Western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practicing religion as they see fit- for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear. We cannot disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretence of liberalism.
This is the only major aspect of the speech that was criticized in France.
Secularism is taken very seriously here, and the separation of church and state brooks no exceptions.
When responding to a question on this issue yesterday, President Sarkozy forgot to mention that although Muslim women naturally have the right to wear whatever they wish inside and outside the home, the veil is prohibited in public schools; all other religious symbols, such as christian crosses for example, are also forbidden.
As such, Obama’s support of the veil was criticized in no uncertain terms by women’s and human rights organizations.
Ni Putes ni Soumises (Neither Whores nor Victims), a women’s rights organizations founded in the Paris suburbs where many of France Muslims live, and which erupted in violence in 2005 when Sarkozy was responsible for law and order as Interior minister, said in a statement that by attacking secularism and defending the veil, Obama was launching a crusade against women.
La Ligue du Droit International des Femmes (the League of International Law for Women) declared that Obama’s defense of the veil was a slap in the face of all women who struggle not to wear the veil. In many cases, the veil is imposed by the women’s male entourage, and not freely chosen. Human societies are built upon symbols, the organization added. Positive ones like the colors of a flag or a song of liberation. Negative ones, like a convict’s suit or a veil under which women disappear, like in Saudi Arabia.
Was that truly the only difference between the US and France?
One thing that did deeply shock the French was that, last night , having dinner at a fine French restaurant, la Fontaine de Mars, in Paris’ VIIth arrondissement, specializing in French South West cuisine, Obama had a food taster sample his dishes, just in case (that incidentally, smacks of Ancien Régime France)…Apparently, that is also part of the Secret Service’s responsibility. No self respecting Frenchman would taint a fine dish, even if he did want to dispose of the leader of the free world. He would use more traditional means, and certainly not sacrilegious ones…
More seriously, according to the French daily Le Monde, Sarkozy has sought to tighten Franco-American relations since his election in 2007. In order to do so, he sent additional troops to Afghanistan, and successfully led France’s reintegration into NATO’s military command structure. Furthermore, unlike many other European nations including Germany, France accepted to receive a Guantanamo detainee.
Sarkozy hopes that, as a result, France’s influence in Washington will grow. Hence, he emphasized the quality of his relationship with President Obama, and their similar perceptions of the major international issues.
Yet, how much influence does France really have in Washington?
As Obama said, the EU is a stabilizing force in international diplomacy, and thus, does not require that much attention on the part of Washington. There are more pressing issues to attend to elsewhere.
So, the answer to the above question is, probably not much…
And there remain a few differences in the way to tackle issues: though Sarkozy supports Obama’s overtures to Iran, he believes a deadline must be set, beyond which diplomacy ought to be supplanted by a tougher approach, should Iran be procrastinating…Incidentally, this is quite close to the Israeli position…
Sarkozy’s proposal to host an international conference on the Middle East has also failed to get US support…

In essence, the climate is much healthier than in the Bush-Chirac era, and there is plenty of good will on both sides of the Atlantic. That is a promising start, though reconciling the ambitions of France and America will not always be easy.

As French officials told Le Monde : the game with Obama is going to be a tough one…