French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the friendship between France and the United States and paid tribute to American sacrifices in World War II, in a rare address to the US Congress. Arriving for a joint session of the US Senate and the House of Representatives, the French leader received a lengthy and warm applause, including several standing ovations, as he praised the United States for its world influence.
Sarkozy was speaking a day after receiving an effusive welcome from President George W. Bush at an exclusive reception. French-US ties had soured under Sarkozy's predecessor Jacques Chirac who firmly opposed the war in Iraq and the US-led invasion in 2003. But Sarkozy, who is often called "Sarko the American" is one of the most pro-US French leaders in decades and clearly aims to show Bush and Americans that France has turned a page on the past.
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