Nicolas Sarkozy takes the podium at Columbia University on Monday determined to remind the United States that France is a crucial ally - sometimes a noisy one, but a friend nonetheless.
President Barack Obama is likely to test that French loyalty the next day. He hosts Mr. Sarkozy at the White House for talks in which Afghanistan, and Mr. Obama’s push for more European and other allied forces, is likely to take a starring role.
Mr. Sarkozy’s trip to New York and Washington this week provides him relief from his political troubles and sinking poll ratings at home, and a chance to bask in his international stature.
He meets Mr. Obama on an upswing, having just come off his biggest domestic and international feats so far in his presidency, health care reform and a new nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia.
The 200—year—old French—American friendship, including its ups and downs from the World Wars to the U.S.—led Iraq invasion, will anchor Mr. Sarkozy’s speech at Columbia on Monday. He’s accompanied by French thinkers and university deans.
Columbia President Lee Bollinger introduced Mr. Sarkozy, and asked the audience to stand and offer first lady Carla Bruni “a special welcome.” The audience obliged, getting up and giving her a round of applause, which she acnowledged by rising, turning toward the audience and smiling, elegantly clad in a simple black dress.
Hundreds of people had lined up more than two hours before Mr. Sarkozy’s 10 a.m. speech at the elite university’s Low Library to pass through stringent airport—style security for the event.
The school was asked to stage what amounted to a media blitz, with more than 120 journalists from both sides of the Atlantic accredited to cover the speech.
Privately, a Columbia official said that compared to other visits to the school from world leaders, preparations for this one were among the most complicated and detailed. Requests included a special espresso—making machine ready to serve him coffee in an office reserved especially for him. The French also flew in their own podium for the president, but failed to install a rug they wanted to put in place for the speech.
Mr. Sarkozy meets later in the day with U.N. Secretary—General Ban Ki—moon, with the stalled Mideast peace process and Iran’s nuclear programme on the agenda. France has been among the loudest voices calling for a new round of sanctions against Iran for defying U.N. calls to suspend uranium enrichment.
Mr. Sarkozy and Mr. Obama want Mideast talks to resume, but some in the U.S. are worried that France’s talk of hosting some kind of Mideast peace conference is premature.
With Mr. Obama fresh off his first presidential trip to Afghanistan, he is expected to ask Mr. Sarkozy for more French personnel to help shore up the Afghan police and military.
Mr. Sarkozy’s room for manoeuvre is limited. France has 3,750 troops in Afghanistan and Mr. Sarkozy is determined to keep them there. But public support in France for the war is low - as is public support for Mr. Sarkozy, whose conservative party lost big in regional elections a week ago.
Mr. Sarkozy may press Mr. Obama for U.S. support on regulating hedge funds and complain about a Pentagon mid—air refuelling tanker contract that has prompted European cries of protectionism. Airbus parent EADS says the request for bids favours rival Boeing Corp.
Mr. Sarkozy is eager to polish his international standing before he takes over the chairmanship of the G—20 and G—8 groups of leading world economies next year.
A poll released on Sunday showed Mr. Sarkozy’s domestic support at 30 percent, a record low for his not—quite—three—year—old presidency - and well below that of his low—profile prime minister, Francois Fillon.
Mr. Sarkozy’s father and wife have hinted they don’t think a second term is a good idea, but Mr. Fillon dismissed that and efforts to pit the two men against each other. “Nicolas Sarkozy is the natural candidate for the governing party in 2012,” he is quoted as saying in the Journal du Dimanche newspaper. “I am and I will be loyal to Nicolas Sarkozy.”
The Sarkozys join the Obamas for a private dinner in the White House on Tuesday.
