France

National Assembly approves French return to Nato

Article published on the 2009-03-18 Latest update 2009-03-18 10:00 TU

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon (L) and France's Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner at the National Assembly in Paris on Tuesday.
(Photo: Reuters)

France's National Assembly, the lower house of its parliament, gave its approval to the country's full return to Nato's command on Tuesday.

Prime Minister François Fillon reassured the house as to the "independence" of France, saying she would always "act on her convictions" and describing the return to command positions in Nato as an "adjustment".

There were 329 votes in favour of the government, with 238 against.

Left-wing parliamentary groupings voted against, as did the leader of the centrist Modem party, François Bayrou, and the leader of the conservative Mouvement pour la France party, Philippe de Villiers.

The Prime Minister told the parliament that France would remain "the ally but not the vassal" of the United States, saying that friendship was not to be confused with naivite.

The government asked for a vote of confidence as a means to approve the new French role in Nato, which is only the second time Fillon has used this approach in parliament.

The governing party enjoys a strong majority in parliament.

Linking the Nato vote to a vote of confidence - Fillon had said his government would resign if defeated - is believed to dissuade party deputies from dissenting, since that could provoke a political crisis.

The decision to return to the Nato command was announced by President Nicolas Sarkozy last week and comes more than 40 years after General Charles de Gaulle withdrew France because of perceived US dominance.

The move is expected to become official at the April Nato summit in Strasbourg and Kehl.