French President Nicolas Sarkozy has introduced some new changes to France's foreign policy, characterized by "straightforwardness" and "pragmatism" - phrases frequently used in his diplomatic encounters since he assumed office in May.
HELPING EU OUT OF CONSTITUTIONAL IMPASSE
Be aware that France's future is closely linked with that of the European Union (EU), Sarkozy is convinced that his country's hopes to play a greater role on the world stage would come to little without the backing of a strengthened EU.
Sarkozy devoted much of his efforts to promote integration of the 27-nation bloc. On the very day he was sworn in as president, he traveled to Germany, also a EU power, to enlist Berlin's support for efforts to convince other EU countries to accept a revised EU treaty.
His effort paid off when all EU members passed the EU reform treaty in Portugal's Lisbon on Oct. 19, bringing an end to six years of debate and the two-year old constitutional crisis.
And eager to make the best of the country's upcoming EU presidency in the second half of 2008, Paris wants to give full play to its EU leadership role. Intense preparations are under way, with the president instructing all government departments to set EU-related work as a top priority, with the focus on energy, the environment, immigration and European security mechanisms.
FRENCH-U.S. RELATIONS THAW
In quick fence-mending efforts to deal with strained France-U.S. relations which were soured by Washington's war on Iraq, Sarkozy did not hide his intention of trying to break out of the Chirac-era rut in some way.
In a departure from the practice of his predecessor Jacques Chirac, a vocal opponent of the U.S.-led war on Iraq in 2003, Sarkozy made a point of traveling to the United States to spend his summer holiday.
He held an informal meeting with his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush, and months later in November, he paid an official visit to the United States where he was accorded a high-profile welcome, which marks a formal thaw in bilateral ties.
According to French media, Sarkozy was proceeding from the view that there was no fundamental conflict of interest and values between the two countries, since both belong to the "Free World." He also appeared to follow the example of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and strive to maintain or even raise France's influence on the international stage by keeping close ties with Washington.
However, Sarkozy has stressed repeatedly that as a "friend and ally" of the United States, France has the freedom to air differences. On different occasions, he did criticize Washington's policy on environmental and financial issues.
Special report: Yearender 2007
COOPERATION WITH CHINA, RUSSIA, NORTH AFRICA STRENGTHENED
Attaching great importance to France-China relations, Sarkozy wishes to develop a closer partnership with China. He paid a state visit to China in November, during which he and Chinese leaders reached wide-ranging consensus on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues of common concern. The visit has laid a foundation for further development of the France-China strategic partnership.
During Sarkozy's visit to Russia in October, the two countries signed a series of documents on energy, railway, financing and aviation. At an intergovernmental meeting in Paris in November, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon termed Russia as France's "important strategic partner," saying their relations will grow in a "more candid, immediate and effective" way and their cooperation as well as that between Russia and the EU will embark on a faster track.
On another diplomatic front, Sarkozy's campaign vision of a "Mediterranean Union" moved forward after he assumed office. The French president hopes to enhance cooperation with Arab countries in North Africa through carrying out some tangible projects between them, thus strengthening France's clout in Mediterranean littoral countries.
Leaders of Italy, France and Spain have pledged joint efforts to promote cooperation in the Mediterranean region and make the proposed "Mediterranean Union" the core for regional cooperation. A summit of the countries bordering the sea is slated for July in Paris, before a scheduled European Union (EU) summit in Brussels.
After winning elections on a reform platform, Sarkozy delivered his promise by introducing some changes to France's political landscape. However, maintaining France's independence, serving the country's fundamental interests and establishing France as a world power will always be the essence of the foreign policy of France under any elected president, analysts say.
Source:Xinhua
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