The United States welcomed French President
Nicolas Sarkozy's announcement Tuesday in Paris of plans to reintegrate France into NATO's command structure for the first time in decades,
dpa reported.
"We very much have always appreciated France's role in the
alliance, but full reintegration of France into the NATO military command
structure has been a goal for many for a long time, and (we're) certainly
pleased to see it happen," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey
said.
French then-president Charles de Gaulle withdrew France from the military
command in 1966 and asked for the relocation of NATO headquarters to another
country. NATO moved to Mons, Belgium.
Sarkozy announced France's reintegration plans during a speech about military
policy, arguing that an expanded French role in NATO would boost Europe's
influence.
"I want the alliance to be more European, and how can we
have a more European alliance without France?" Sarkozy asked.