AFP: Sarkozy pushes EU-Med ties on North Africa visit 07 August

During a lightning trip to Washington to mend ties frayed by the Iraq war, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has praised the countries' historic friendship and paid tribute to US sacrifices in World War II. Excerpts of his speeches from late Wednesday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and first lady Carla Bruni are on the second and final day of a visit to South Africa. The visited Robben Island off the Cape Town before departing for Johannesburg for a private meeting with former president and anti-apartheid icon, 89-year-old Nelson Mandela. Images of visit.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy landed in Tripoli on Wednesday for talks with Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi in a signal of normalised ties between Europe and the north African nation. Sarkozy announced he would make the "political trip" to Tripoli after French efforts contributed to the release on Tuesday of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, imprisoned in Libya since 1999 for infecting children with the AIDS virus. Images.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Friday they hope to make a joint visit to Darfur to push for peace in the crisis-stricken Sudanese region. After meeting in Paris, the two leaders said France and Britain will send their foreign ministers to New York to back a resolution at the UN Security Council calling for an African Union and UN peacekeeping force. Extracts from joint press conference.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Tunisia on Monday hoping to clinch nuclear and aviation deals with the north African state and push his plan for a Mediterranean Union. Images of Sarkozy's arrival in the company of wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

China and France sought to patch up their differences on Tuesday amid anger over protests surrounding the Olympic torch relay but a Paris city honour for the Dalai Lama threatened to scupper efforts. The tension was underlined with the wheelchair-bound fencer Jin Jing saying that French President Nicolas Sarkozy owed her an apology. At new anti-France demonstrations, protesters call for a boycott of French products.

British and French Colonial unites, including Sikh regiments from India, arrive in Egypt to forestall Mussolini's advance.

During French President Nicolas Sarkozy's first official visit to Tunisia since taking office, Tunisair agreed to purchase 16 aircraft from Airbus under an agreement in principle worth a billion euros. Sarkozy also spoke about Tunisia's much criticized human rights record.

During French President Nicolas Sarkozy's first official visit to Tunisia since taking office, Tunisair agreed to purchase 16 aircraft from Airbus under an agreement in principle worth a billion euros. Sarkozy also spoke about Tunisia's much criticized human rights record.