Critics say it’s a betrayal of de Gaulle. But 58 per cent of public backs decision.
Forty-three years after Charles de Gaulle withdrew France from the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has announced plans to reintegrate the country into all structures of NATO, Spiegel Online reports. In a speech delivered at the École Militaire in Paris, Sarkozy, cited his “responsibility for the nation’s strategic decisions,” and pledged “full commitment” to the Atlantic alliance. Sarkozy is making a break with his predecessors and signaling an end to an “anti-American” reflex – yet the move has drawn fire from critics, who say it’s a betrayal of de Gaulle’s legacy. Even so, the public seems to support the decision, with 58 per cent backing Sarkozy in a poll.