Ahead of NATO summit Obama lauds strong Europe and France (Roundup)

By Siegfried Mortkowitz Apr 3, 2009, 12:56 GMT

U.S. President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy and listen to the U.S. National Anthem during an arrival ceremony at Palais Rohan in Strasbourg, France 03 April 2009. President Obama is scheduled to meet later in the day with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and to attend functions at the NATO Summit. EPA/SHAWN THEW

Strasbourg, France - US President Barack Obama on Friday called for a stronger Europe and praised French President Nicolas Sarkozy for his leadership in the conflict in Afghanistan.

'We want strong allies. We would like to see Europe have more robust defence capabilities,' Obama said after talks with Sarkozy in the French city of Strasbourg. 'We are not looking to be patrons of Europe; we are looking to be partners of Europe.'

The two leaders held their first head-to-head talks since Obama was elected to the White House. They met ahead of the opening of a two-day NATO summit in Strasbourg and in the German cities of Kehl and Baden-Baden to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the alliance's founding.

'NATO is the most successful alliance in modern history,' Obama said. 'The basic premise of NATO was that Europe's security was also US security, and vice versa. This is a pillar of American foreign policy.'

Obama, who was attending his first NATO summit, went out of his way to praise France and Sarkozy on their contribution to the efforts to stabilize Afghanistan.

'France has already been a stalwart ally when it comes to Afghanistan,' he said. 'We didn't have to drag France kicking and screaming into Afghanistan.'

Paris and Washington were 'on the same page' regarding Afghanistan, Obama said, and thanked Sarkozy for his 'outstanding leadership' in the conflict.

While Sarkozy reiterated his position that France would not deploy more fighting troops to the region, he said that Paris was 'ready to do more in the matter of police, gendarmes and (aiding) the economy.'

France will be sending 1,500 French gendarmes to Afghanistan as part of a European policing contingent.

The French president said he was also prepared to help Obama with one of his thorniest problems, closing the prison camp in Guantanamo, Cuba.

Asked if France was prepared to accept some Guantanamo detainees that were too dangerous to be freed, Sarkozy said, 'If it permits the United States to close the camp, the answer is yes.'

Sarkozy praised the new 'spirit of openness' in Washington since Obama became president.

'It is damn good news to have a US president who knows that the world does not end at the borders of his country,' he said.

Obama praised Sarkozy's decision to return his country to NATO's military command structure, calling France 'our oldest ally, our first ally.'

France is to be officially restored as a full NATO member on Saturday, 43 years after Charles de Gaulle pulled the country out of its military command.

Accompanied by his wife, Michelle, Obama was given a rock star's welcome when he arrived near noon at the Palais de Rohan in Strasbourg for talks with Sarkozy.

Responding to cheers and applause from the crowd, a smiling Obama greeted the spectators with handshakes, calls of 'Nice to see you' and 'It's good to be here.' At one point, he even leaned into the crowd to kiss a young woman.

Obama and Sarkozy last met briefly in Paris in the summer of 2008 when Obama, then a presidential candidate, visited several European capitals.

The two presidents confirmed that Obama would to return to France on June 6 to take part in festivities commemorating the anniversary of D-Day, when Allied forces invaded Nazi-controlled France in 1944.