Hollande’s US visit reflects stronger ties despite row

The French flag flies along with the US flag and the flag of the District of Columbia in front of the White House in Washington. French President Francois Hollande started a state visit to the US yesterday with spats over US eavesdropping and trade talks with the EU unlikely to chill a relationship now far warmer than before the 2003 US-led war on Iraq.Reuters/WashingtonFrench President Francois Hollande started a visit to the US yesterday with spats over US eavesdropping and trade talks with the EU unlikely to chill a relationship now far warmer than before the 2003 US-led war on Iraq.Hollande, 59, who split from his partner last month after an affair with an actress, arrived solo for the first state visit hosted by President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle in nearly 2-1/2 years.The US and France, whose alliance dates to the founding of America in the late 18th century, are working together on Iran, Syria, North Africa and other trouble spots.The collaboration is a far cry from the strains of a decade ago when France refused to join the Iraq war.“France is a solid ally of the US but always retains its independence,” Hollande told Time magazine in an interview published last week.He made clear that he shared European anger over National Security Agency practices that “should never have existed” and had caused “a difficult moment, not just between France and the US but also between Europe and the US”.Yesterday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said talks to resolve the spying issue were under way.“There was behaviour that wasn’t specifically targeted at France, but it was unacceptable,” he told RTL radio.“So there are more talks, which are not finished, but gains have been made. The US, with checks in place, won’t be able to spy on the president and we’ll verify that this is the case.”Washington’s relations with the European Union have also been ruffled by a US diplomat’s secretly recorded expletive to disparage the EU’s handling of the political crisis in Ukraine.The US and France have co-operated in diplomacy on Syria and Iran, but do not always agree on economic issues such as a US-EU trade deal on which negotiations began in July.France set down several preconditions before allowing the talks to start, insisting that the audio-visual sector, including cinema and books, be excluded from discussions.French tax authorities have also put US Internet giant Google under audit about accounting procedures which channel sales through Ireland. Google rejects suggestions that this is an attempt at tax-dodging.Officials say Obama and Hollande have solid working ties.“During the visit, they will discuss opportunities to further strengthen our shared security, grow our economic and commercial partnership, and partner on the environment, climate change, and development,” the White House said.Obama will showcase the old US-French alliance by taking Hollande on a tour of the Monticello estate of Thomas Jefferson, the third US president, who had been ambassador to France from 1785 to 1789.Jefferson was one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence. Without French assistance, the fledgling American army might not have defeated the British colonial power.Today, after an arrival ceremony on the White House lawn, Obama and Hollande hold talks and a news conference. Hollande will have lunch at the State Department with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry.Call for ‘ambitious’ climate change dealThe presidents of the US and France have called for a global pact to fight climate change in a joint op-ed published yesterday, the first day of a visit to Washington by French leader Francois Hollande. He and Barack Obama urged more clean energy partnerships to create jobs, as well as support for developing countries as they shift to low-carbon energy.“As we work toward next year’s climate conference in Paris, we continue to urge all nations to join us in pursuit of an ambitious and inclusive global agreement that reduces greenhouse gas emissions through concrete actions,” read the op-ed published in the Washington Post and Le Monde newspapers.Although France has repeatedly called for ambitious carbon cuts, the European Union scaled back its long-term climate goals in January due to difficult economic conditions. The new emission targets fall short of what some scientists and environmentalists say is needed to prevent the worst effects of climate change.